Reversal Princess
by dlamp
Summary: A story of Aoi's life after the Fifth World Fighting Tournament, and the opportunities that arose after her performance.
1. Chapter 1

Not a moment after Aoi had woken up in the J6 infirmary she was asked to come to this room. The lights were bright and blaring as she entered. Upon examination, it looked like some kind of interrogation room. The walls were a depressing gray that were almost viewed as white due to the bright lights, and the small size of the room didn't help make it feel any more welcoming. There was a sterile, claustrophobic feel to it overall. Aoi paused before continuing further in, looking around. All she could really make out were the bright lights shining from above onto her and a few shadows in front.

"Ah, Miss Umenokoji?" It was a woman's voice. Aoi focused her gaze and made out a long haired woman sitting at a table through the glaring lights. The lights seemed to dim a little as Aoi got a better look. The woman was in very formal dress, wearing a blazer, tie, and dress pants. It was very businesslike, like she was a salaryman on her way to a meeting. The woman gave a smile as their eyes met and gestured to her table. "Please, have a seat." Aoi paused for a moment, but made her way over to the table and empty chair. Her eyes were looked onto this woman, examining her carefully.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Smith." The woman began. "I'm an agent of Judgement 6, of the Tower division specifically. I'm sure you heard of us." Aoi nodded. J6 was the group of companies that sponsored and funded the World Fighting Tournament, though she wasn't too familiar with the separate companies in detail. "Excellent," Smith continued on. "We've been watching your performance in our tournaments Miss Umenokoji, and we've taken an interest in you."

Aoi was actually surprised by this. Her performances in the tournaments so far had been less than great. She had made it through all the preliminaries, but in the actually tournament she had always been soundly beaten. She lost in the first round of the third tournament. She then lost again to that damn flirt in the fourth tournament. She had made it all the way to the quarter finals in this current tournament, but Aoi didn't think that alone was anything of note. Still, for the sponsors of the tournament to be interest in her was shocking. "Really?"

"Yes, in fact we'd love to have you work for us."

There was a pause as Aoi took in that shocking proposal. A job working for the sponsors of the World Fighting Tournament. That sounded almost too good to be true. She had to admit the idea was exciting, but she wasn't going to be blinded by the opportunity and just jump in blindly. Not yet anyway. "What would I be doing?"

Smith's smile was practically plastered onto her face as Aoi spoke, like a persistent salesman trying to push a product. She barely batted an eye at the question. Instead, she took out a stack of papers from behind her and sat them on the table. "Well, we want to be a sponsored fighter under Judgement 6." Smith explained, laying out a few sheets as she went on. "It's more of a deal than a job opportunity really. We know that you help your father run a dojo, so we'll agree to help fund some of its expenses. Anything from buying equipment, paying for insurance or injuries while training, maintenance, things of that nature." Smith paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

 _Our dojo could always use more income._ As the eldest child in the family and technical heir of the dojo a lot of future decisions about the place would be hers to make. The place did relatively well, but the years were slowly making the building look less traditional and more rundown. The money could at least keep the infrastructure in good shape while still keeping its original, traditional look.

"Moving on," Smith flipped through a few more papers. "Occasionally we'll ask you to participate in other tournaments as a sponsored fighter. Spread our name to places we don't directly sponsor and such. We'll also send you to places around the world to battle skilled fighters to gather information on fighting styles. We feel that you, Miss Umenokoji, would be a fine addition to our team. What do you say?" Aoi placed a hand to her mouth, thinking it over. It sounded like a great chance to get some money for the dojo and get a unique training experience, but this was all moving so fast. Smith wasn't exactly being pushy, but it didn't feel like Aoi was getting much of a choice.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Still thinking it over, huh?" The smile never faded from Smith's face. "As far as drawbacks goes the long and short it is that as a fighter under us you can't publically discredit anything we say or do. There's a bit of confidentiality in regards to what you see while under us and how we operate our business as well. Ah, and we can't promise your total safety being a fighter and all. You'll likely get hurt, maybe break a bone or two, but we'll handle all medical expensive. Also, we'll have _some_ say in how our money will be spent once we give it to you, but it's mostly you don't throw wild parties at the dojo, you know?" Smith let out a laugh to lighten the mood.

"I see…" It didn't sound like a bad deal. The risks weren't anything worse than what the tournament threatened, and it sounded like it'd be a good chance to get some unique training in. "Alright, I'll do it." Smith clapped her hands together and nodded in approval.

"Great! I'm glad you agreed." Smith gathered the papers she had laid out and slide them to Aoi. "I'll just need you to sign these papers here. Liability and things like that, nothing the last tournament didn't have."

Aoi glanced at the papers, then quickly signed them, Smith's grinning all the while. "Excellent, thank you Miss Umenokoji." She stood up from her seat and grabbed the papers, placing them into a briefcase beside her. "I know this all seems very sudden, but trust me when I say we really do have high hopes for you." With that said Smith grabbed her briefcase and started to head out the door. "I believe we're finished here then. I'll be visiting you at your dojo within the week to discuss all this in more detail. As well as give you your first check." Before Smith left, she gave a wink at Aoi. "Welcome to Judgement 6's Tower division Miss Umenokoji! I hope your days under us are pleasant."


	2. Chapter 2

"So then, you're trained in Aiki-jūjutsu, Kobujutsu, and Aikido." Smith repeated, writing down the information as she spoke.

"Yes, I've trained in Aiki-jujutsu for 15 years, and in Kobujutsu and Aikido for two years." Staying true to her word, Smith came to visit Aoi's dojo a few days after she had accepted Smith's proposal. It was mostly to interview her, but Smith also wanted to get a good look at the dojo too. The two were in the main room, sitting on the floor in the center. Smith had her briefcase and several papers laid out. The interview had been going one for thirty minutes now and Aoi was starting to feel tired from answering all of Smith's questions.

Aoi had explained the situation to her father, who was surprisingly acceptant of it all. Her father was usually very strict about what she did and how she trained, so the lack of push or critique on her actions was shocking. Actually, it had made her more worried if anything at first until he explained his stance on it.

 _"_ _As the heir to our dojo these are decisions you will have to make. I'll respect whatever you choose so long as you believe it's for the best."_

There was both relief and confidence in hearing those words from her father. She just hoped the money that would come in made the deal worth it.

"Any other tournaments you've entered besides the World Fighting Tournament?" Smith's question brought Aoi back to situation at hand.

"Ah, no. Those were my first ones." Smith continued to write down information as the interview went on. There were more questions about her background, her family life, who she associated with, things of that nature. It felt like the woman was trying to squeeze out every last minute detail about Aoi. It'd worn on her after about fifteen more minutes of questioning and elaborating.

"Alright Miss Umenokoji, I believe that's all the information I'll need." Aoi let out a sigh of relief and leaned back a little. Finally, that was over.

"Thank goodness..."

"I know, sorry about all that. It's just procedure." Smith gave a sheepish smile and scratched the back of her head. She then glanced around the dojo, giving a whistle as she examined it. "Wow, this is a nice dojo you have Miss Umenokoji." Aoi nodded and smiled.

"Thank you. For all the wear and tear it has, we try to keep it looking nice." Aoi's voice held a bit of pride in it as she said this. Smith nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, I hope our sponsoring the place will help with its upkeep." Smith then turned to Aoi. "And one that note…" Smith opened her briefcase and pulled out an envelope. "For you Miss Umenokoji." Aoi took the envelope and inspected for a second. It must be her first check as a sponsored fighter. She couldn't help but smile as she grabbed envelope, curious to see the amount. Immediately she opened it, like it was a birthday present she had been waiting for.

Upon seeing the numbers Aoi's eyes widened as she stared at the check, her jaw would had dropped too if she wasn't trying to keep a straight face while in front of Smith. _All these zeros…_ She knew J6 was a wealthy corporation, but _this_ much money for a first check? For a small dojo like hers? It was more than enough to refurbish a lot of the dojo and get some better equipment. This amount had to be a mistake. Aoi opened her mouth to speak, but Smith raised a hand to stop her. "Just don't spend it on a wild party." Aoi nodded almost absentmindedly and let Smith continue.

"Now then, for your first task as a sponsored fighter of J6 we want to give you a small test."

"A… test?" Aoi questioned.

"Don't worry, it's easy. Just a little taste of what we'll be doing with you to get your feet wet." Smith explained. "We want you to fight someone in an exhibition match. We've arranged the fight in a local ring nearby. What we're testing is your _popularity_." That threw Aoi off.

"My… popularity?"

"Yes, we want to see how many fans you can attract." Smith began. "You see, if we get your name out further than just the World Fighting Tournament we can use that fame to attract more people to our corporation. We can get more stock buyers, expand our influence through new business investments, improve our relationships with our business partners." Smith was about to go on, but the confused look on Aoi's face made her stop. "Ah sorry. Long story short it's just marketing and business stuff."

Well, that much Aoi could understand. "Alright. If you think this will be good for me then I'll leave it all to you Miss Smith." Smith nodded.

"Don't worry Miss Umenokoji, you're in good hands!"

A week had passed and Aoi was in a locker room preparing for her match. Smith had prepared the fight to be in a small arena. She had explained to Aoi that despite her being known as a competitor in the World Fighting Tournament they wanted to play it safe and start small before moving to larger arenas and fights. The match was being locally televised as well. According to Smith it was to just test how she'd be viewed on TV. _I wonder who my opponent is?_ All week Smith had been calling Aoi to give her updates, dropping hints about her opponent, but never stated who exactly it was she was fighting. They got annoying after a while, but at least now she'd find out.

"You ready for the big fight Miss Umenokoji?" Smith walked into the room, taking Aoi by surprise.

"Yes, I think so." Aoi finished the last of attire as she prepared herself for the match. She was in her dojo's attire, a white, sleeveless dougi, black hakama, and fingerless gloves. The rules for this match were simple, a one round fight with no time that was won by knockout only. There were no real restrictions in terms of tactics or moves allowed save for things like eye-gouging and hair pulling, so it was basically under the same rules as the World Fighting Tournament. Anything goes. "I'll do my best."

"That's all we ask." As usual, Smith's smile and tone was as plastic as always, but Aoi could still tell that the woman meant well. At least she hoped so.

"Right, thank you."

Aoi wasted no more time getting ready, and headed out to the ring once her name was announced. The ring itself was a square cage, and a small one at that. Around that cage were several rows on all sides. People cheered as Aoi walked into the ring, her face was a light red as she walked. She had been use to people watching her fight before, but not in a staged like this, not as many people as this. Sure the World Fighting Tournament had a few stages with crowds, but most fights were recorded on camera in remote locations. There was usually no crowd to distract her from the fight. _No, ignore them, just stay focused on your opponent and win._ As she approached the cage a staff membered opened the door for her to enter and shut it behind her.

Once she was inside her opponent was announced. A person by the name of Yuka Takeuichi. The lights went to the opposite side of the ring, and her opponent came into view. It was a teenage girl, probably around sixteen or seventeen if Aoi had to guess. She was dressed in a karate gi with a black belt tied around it. When their eyes meet Aoi could see the fire and determination burning from in her. All it took was a glance to know that this girl was very passionate about this match. In fact, the girl took a running start and practically jumped into the ring once the doors were opened. The girl had enthusiasm, Aoi had to admit that much. "Let's have a good fight!" The girl said with a confident smile. Aoi nodded and gave a small bow before quickly going into a fighting stance. The girl seemed friendly, but kind exchanges were a waste in a battle.

"Of course. Let's both not hold back on each other." Her opponent took her own fighting stance and nodded.

"Right!" The two watched the other carefully, sizing them up before the bell finally rang and the fight was on.

Aoi went on the offensive quickly, closing the distance between the two and rushing her opponent with palm strikes. Each of her attacks were successfully blocked and deflected by Yuka. A frontally assault was no good. Yuka then grabbed onto the collar of Aoi's dougi with one hand and pulled her in close for three solid punches to Aoi stomach with her free hand. Each hit knocked a bit of wind out of her as she over. Yuka the pushed Aoi to one of the walls of the cage and swung her foot into Aoi's face, knocking her to the ground. Aoi could hear the muffled cheers of the crowd as she lied on the mat. Yuka was proving to win the crowd over with her offensive, but Aoi refused to let the match end like this. _I have to get up._ She told herself. Those blows had blurred her vision a little and had her pushing against the ground and had her somewhat groggy, but she'd be damned if that stopped her.

Once she was up she retook her fighting stance, locking eyes were her opponent. The girl's fiery gaze didn't falter, and she readied herself for another exchange. Aoi struck first again, this time grabbing Yuka by the arms and yanking her forward to make her lose her balance. Once she staggered forward Aoi pushed her down by her arms, then slammed her knee into the girl's back once she was on the ground. The crowd cheered as Aoi stood above Yuka, but she was far from finished though. With the girl face down Aoi quickly moved over to her legs, grabbing her right leg and lifting up before giving her thigh a hard stomp. The girl let out a cry, but it didn't make Aoi relent as she lifted Yuka's leg again and forced it to bent forward over her for a painful hold. The girl's cries rang out as she desperately tried to shake off Aoi, using her free leg to kick her off.

Aoi kept her distance, but she knew that she had done some serious damage to her opponent. Yuka had to use the cage for support in order to stand again. She couldn't even get back into a fighting stance it seemed, but she still had fire in her eyes. This girl wasn't giving up the fight anytime soon, if only due to pride. Aoi could understand the feeling, but that didn't mean she'd show mercy. If she was in the same position she wouldn't surrender until her body had forced her to. _Very well. Here I come._ Aoi rushed forward, swinging her foot to her opponent's stomach. Yuka had pushed herself off the cage to get one last punch in on Aoi with all her strength. The two trade blows, and Aoi sent to the ground, dazed and disoriented. She couldn't see Yuka, but she knew that her kick didn't knock her out.

As she was getting slowly standing up Yuka grabbed Aoi by the arm and pulled her into the cage wall. She used the wall to support herself and let out a loud battecry as sent a flurry of punches to Aoi's face, each one sending Aoi closer and closer to losing consciousness. Her face had got a cut from one of the blows, and she started to fall to the ground soon after that, her mind slowly went blank as she succumbed to her opponent's strikes.


	3. Chapter 3

It was déjà vu. Once again Aoi had woken up in a bright and white room. Her whole body was aching, but her face especially. She let out a groan as she started to come around and brought a hand to her cheek. There was bandage over it, along with the bandage on her forehead where she was cut. Both spots still stung as she sank into the nursing bed she was in. Her head was still pounding from the blows she took.

"Well good morning Miss Umenokoji." Aoi instantly sprang up and turned to the origin of the voice. It was Smith, sitting cross legged in a chair with a magazine in hand, her ever-present, salesman smile greeting her. Aoi let out a sigh.

"You scared me…" Aoi sighed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to." Smith closed the magazine and placed it aside. "Anyway, that quite the match, wasn't it? The audience ate it up." Aoi frowned, her mind going back to the match. She succumbed to Yuka's punches and was quickly knocked out. She had lost, again. That's what stung most. Her first official fight as a sponsored fighter and she let her sponsor down by losing. She was disappointed in her. She knew she could had done better if she was just had another chance.

"I… I didn't mean to lose." She tightly clenched her fists out of frustration.

"Nonsense, you did your best, right?" Aoi slowly turned her head to Smith with a slight glare in her eyes. It seemed Smith wasn't as upset with her performance as Aoi was. Then again, Aoi was also convince this woman's face was stuck in a permanent smile and a casual tone, so it was hard to take her words seriously.

"Yes…" She admitted reluctantly.

"And that's all we ask. For now, anyway." Smith reached behind her and pulled out a small stack of papers. "Here, take a look at these." Aoi took the stack and glanced through them. They were surveys and reviews of the match. Each paper gave a rating for Aoi and her opponent Yuka, then some commentary for each of them. "We handed these out to some of the audience before the match and asked for feedback. There were 500 people attending and we handed out 100 papers." Aoi read each of the surveys. Most had given Yuka the better rating of four or five stars with Aoi getting three to four stars. The commentary was surprisingly broad. It ranged from talking about how cute Aoi and Yuka were, to praising good Yuka's offense, to critiquing Aoi's defense, to expressing surprise at how aggressive Aoi was in nearly breaking her opponent's leg, and so on. "What do you think?" Aoi looked through the last of her small stack before handing it to Smith.

"It's… interesting. These kinds of critiques are a lot different than what I'm used to." Aoi admitted. "My father, the head of my dojo, is usually the one to judge and correct any fight or performance I'm in, and he's much stricter than this." That probably wasn't the right description for it. Every time she came back from a tournament her father would sit down with her and discuss how she performed, why she won or loss certain matches, critiques and improves that could be made for next time. His critique could be harsh, but never mean-spirited. There was always a hint of care and concern whenever he corrected her, even if it was hard to hear sometimes. It wasn't so much stricter as it was personal. To have strangers give their opinions and to be able to read them just felt foreign to Aoi. Especially when most of the comments were about how cute her outfit was or how she behaved in a match.

"I see," Smith put the papers away and continued. "I'd say overall averaging around 3.5 out of five isn't bad for a starting point. We just have to work a harder get your name out." Smith took out a notebook from her briefcase and started writing down some ideas. "Maybe a flashier outfit?" Aoi shuddered at the thought of fighting in something other than her dougi or the kimono attire she wore for her tournaments. "Or some interviews perhaps? Oh, I remember an old promo for your entry in the third World Fighting Tournament had you dancing with a fan, that certainly got our ratings up. Maybe another promo like that?" Smith's tone grew more excited as she frantically wrote. "I remember use having some old, Japanese styled costumes and accessories in J6's Tower division, maybe I can get them on board and-" Just then, there was a knock on the door that cut Smith off.

"Hello? May I come in?" A voice asked. Smith turned to Aoi, her face just as surprised as Aoi's. She wasn't even expecting Smith to visit her, let alone anyone else.

"Yes, come in." The door opened and revealed Aoi's opponent. She was still in her karate gi and walking in on crutches. Aoi's eyes instantly went to the girl's leg. The hold Aoi had on her must had did more did more damage than she thought. It wasn't in a cast, so it was safe to say it wasn't broken. _I guess that's why people thought I broke her leg._ Aoi felt a little bad, but a fight wasn't a place for mercy, especially a fight with no rules against breaking bones. She had no apology to give if that's what this girl expected.

"Thank you." The girl nodded and walked in. "Are you doing alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Aoi nodded gave the girl a smile to reassure her. "You gave me a good cut, but I'll recover." Aoi looked at the girl's right leg. "Will you be okay?" She asked this more out of fairness rather than sympathy and her tone reflected that, but the girl nodded.

"I'll be fine. They said I shouldn't put too much weight on it yet, but I'll be in fighting shape soon." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "I should introduce myself. I'm Yuka Takeuichi, a practitioner of Kyokushin Karate." She said with a bow. "Thank you for fighting me without reserve." Aoi nodded.

"Aoi Umenokoji, a practitioner of Aiki-jūjutsu, likewise." The two smiled at each other. Despite the intense match and brutal exchanges, it seemed there were no hard feelings between the two. And Yuka's fiery spirit didn't seem to die down after the fight either. Aoi could still see she was ablaze with passion and excitement even as the match had ended.

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Yuka finally said after a pause.

"Well I appreciate your concern. I'm glad you're alright too." Aoi moved to sit on the edge of her bed, a way to show she could still move well enough. "Actually, I'd like to have a rematch sometime in the near future." Yuka's eyes lit up after hearing this, and quickly moved to stand in front of Aoi.

"Yes, I'd love to fight you again! I think our match was pretty close, so hopefully the next one will bring out a clear victor." The fire in her was ignited, Aoi could tell. This girl much either like fighting or truly felt their match wasn't satisfying enough, a trait that actually worried Aoi a little. People with that mentality were either great warriors like Akira or fight-happy maniacs, especially with that fiery spirit Yuka had. It could be easily misdirected if left unchecked. Thankfully Yuka at least _seemed_ like the former.

"Well…" Aoi then turned to Smith. "If that's possible of course." Yuka turned to Smith as well with a questioning look. "Yuka, this is my manager, Miss Smith." Smith smiled and gave Yuka a small wave, extending a hand for the girl to shake.

"Yes well, it's certainly possible. A rematch on stage I mean." Smith explained. "A few months away after our dear Miss Umenokoji has a bit more training in and finishes some of the other things we have planned for her this month, but I can definitely see a match in the future." Yuka looked deflated upon hearing this. Aoi could understand how she felt, the fact that she'd have to wait for a second chance. Aoi knew the feeling all too well. She had to wait a whole year to get another chance at defeating the muay thai fighter Brad in the World Fighting Tournament, but the wait had been worth it to come out on top.

"A few months…" She repeated, discouraged, something that didn't go unnoticed by Smith.

"Sorry dear, that's just business." Smith stated. "However, that's just an _official_ rematch. If you two want to fight on your own time far be it from me to stop you."

"Really?" Yuka turned to Aoi. "Do you think we could have it this month?" Aoi thought it over for a moment, then looked to Smith. If she still had things to do as a fighter under J6 it would be difficult to get a rematch in. Smith seemed to be reading Aoi's mind and responded to her mental questions.

"I'll let you know our schedule in a bit, but you should have time." Both Aoi and Yuka nodded.

"Okay, thanks!" Yuka said, giving a nod to Smith, then turned to Aoi. The two then started doing a bit of planning on their own, mostly exchanging cellphone numbers and offering the location of their respective dojos to stay in touch. "I'll be sure to see you again Aoi. Thanks again for the information, I'll try calling you soon." Yuka gave a wave goodbye and soon left, leaving only Smith and Aoi in the room.

"Quite the spirited one." Smith commented.

"Yes, a very vibrant karateka." Aoi paused for a moment. "So… why chose her as my first opponent?"

"Miss Takeuichi is very well known in the karate world as a rising prodigy." Smith explained, taking a sheet of paper from her briefcase. "Originally there was another girl that had been dominating national tournaments and getting all the press named Satomi Yajima. Miss Takeuichi had defeated her in a national tournament and the two have had a friendly rivalry since with Miss Takeuichi becoming an undefeated champion in Miss Yajima's place. She's became the next rising star ever since, and such a rising star just seemed like a good opponent for you as a sponsored fighter." Aoi started reading through the paper she was given. It was an article that talked about Yuka's rise as a fighter and how this fight was going to be her first time fighting outside the karate world, as some information on Aoi being her opponent. The article was very recent too. "The press got a chance to see you both in action and now with the possibility of a rematch we might have a chance to really get some publicity out there."

"Ah, I see…" All this business and marketing talk was a bit over Aoi's head, but she got the idea.

"Admittedly, that could have gone better, but it worked out in the end. Just keep in mind that _winning_ your fights will improve our reputation and we can get more money, which means more money for you as well." Money honestly didn't concern Aoi, but she nodded regardless. "Now, we just need you to rest up and get ready for our next event." Smith took back the article and placed it in her briefcase.

"Which is…?"

"We want to start moving you around like we said with would do. You know, take you to locations around the world and fight unique and skilled fighters from across the map." That's right, Smith talked about doing something like that when they first discussed the sponsorship. "The first stop is Korea. There's a dojang that has a very skilled taekwondo student trying to raise money to keep her family in business. Her name is Lee Won Hee, a college graduate and daughter of the master of the dojang." Smith paused and looked at Aoi, a playful smile on her face. "A lot like you really. But anyway, we want to send you to this dojang in a few weeks and fight her. It'll be a televised event. The press will help improve and spread her dojang's reputation, as well as our own. You know, build some of that good press by helping her bring in some business." Aoi honestly didn't like the tone Smith had explaining event. It sounded a lot more arrogant that Smith probably meant, but she didn't really have much room to complain or argue. If this Lee Won Hee was as good as Smith claimed, then it would be a good fight and a great chance for Aoi to improve her own skills regardless of the motive. That was all Aoi really wanted in the end.

"Alright then."

"Great, now you rest up and start preparing for the match. We'll pick you up from your dojo in four weeks." With that, Smith left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days had passed since Aoi's match with Yuka and for some reason her sister Kuro had been giving her the cold shoulder ever since she came back from her fight. This wasn't anything new, Aoi and her sister had always been a bit distant toward each other ever since Aoi started high school. She was used to dealing with glares and curt responses of her sister by now, but Aoi sister usually had _something_ to say after any match or performance Aoi gave. Usually just critiques and a few snide remarks, but not this cold and distant treatment. In fact, Kuro had been ignoring Aoi's existence ever since she got back from the match. It more worrying than annoying really. Even at home her sister said nothing to her save for a "hello," "goodbye," and "welcome home" every now and then. And with today's classes at the dojo wrapping and the two only having an awkward silence in the changing room, it was starting to become too much to bear. The silent tension was going to end today, Aoi was determined to figure out what was going on.

"Kuro," Aoi began. "Are you alright?"

"Yes sister," Kuro said, polite but clearly irritated. Her sister's tone didn't make Aoi relent though.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sister," She repeated, her tone sharper this time. It was clear Kuro didn't want to have whatever conversation Aoi was trying to start, but Aoi was persistent.

"How was school today?"

"Fine."

"What did you do?"

"Schoolwork, then practice at the archery club."

"Oh, was practice fun? I did the Aikido club when I was still in high school."

"Yes sister, it was fun." This was going nowhere. Kuro just kept giving short answers.

"I see…" Aoi sighed. Pushing for conversation wasn't going anywhere. Kuro just wasn't budging, so she decided to just leave it at that as the two finished changing out of their uniforms.

"I saw your match." Aoi turned her head to Kuro, surprised she actually spoke up first, though her tone was on edge.

"Did you?" That caught Aoi off guard, she knew her father had seen her match, but Kuro and her other siblings didn't speak up about it. An alarm was going off in Aoi's head, an instinct that told her this wasn't going to be Kuro finally showing her some respect and warmth like a normal little sister.

"Your manager gave all of us tickets to see it, front row." Kuro explained, Aoi silently cursing Smith for not telling her this beforehand.

"I see." Aoi already knew where this was going. Yep, her instinct was right, this wasn't going to be a fun discussion. Still, it was better for Kuro to at least speak her mind now and get this over with.

"Thanks for letting us know you decided to sign us up for that." Kuro's statement stung a little. Aoi had made sure to tell her father, but she completely forgot about how her siblings would react. Aoi silently cursed herself, but her face gave away no signs of shock. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her sister when she was this forward about her feelings.

"Sorry Kuro, I was just trying to think of what would be best for the future."

"Yeah, because you're the next head, right?" Again Kuro's harsh words stung. "You can make whatever decision you want without even thinking of how the rest of the family feels." Kuro finally turned to Aoi as she finished changing into her pajamas. "Some stranger comes by with a big check and a few promises and you didn't even come to us for any advice or second opinions. You just agreed to the terms and signed us onto a nice deal." Okay, that was as far as Aoi would allow Kuro to go without her saying something.

"And?" Aoi stopped cleaning and turned to her sister. Her face made sure to keep her expression neutral, if only to keep Kuro from knowing how much her words hurt. "I take it you aren't pleased," Aoi's patience was starting to wear.

"No, I'm not." Kuro walked over to Aoi, standing over her with a sharp and narrowed glare. It was always surprising that both her and Kuro were the same height despite being three years apart. Being at eye level with her younger sibling had something of an intimidating effect, especially during tense moments like this. "I'm wondering how a **failure** like you is heir to our dojo."

The room went dead silence after Kuro made her statement. For only a small moment Aoi's eyes narrowed before returning to a neutral expression. She took a breath and a step back. Kuro's words had definitely touched a nerve. Insulting Aoi herself was one thing, insult her position was another. "You're supposed to be the heir to our dojo and you lost you're in mere seconds. Watching you was _pathetic_." Aoi gave no expression to Kuro's claim. She refused to be baited by her sister's taunts.

There was a cold rage in her sister's eyes, Aoi could see it. Aoi met her sister's glare with a calm expression, waiting for her to continue. The next thing Aoi felt was a sharp sting on her cheek from the slap Kuro had given her. " _You're weak._ "

Aoi's hand went to her face, still feeling the sharp pain from Kuro's slap. That strike was a challenge as well as an insult, and Aoi wasn't going to let either go unanswered. "Kuro," Aoi began, her voice maintaining a clear and even tone. "Those were some very harsh words you've said to me. And I admit I have probably not done our dojo any favors with my recent performances. However," Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her sister. "If you truly have an issue with my status then you are more than welcomed to challenge me to a duel." Aoi took one step forward into Kuro's space. Kuro made no movements and stood her ground. At least her sister could back up her talk to an extent "You've recently gotten your black belt, so we should be on the same footing now, correct? I think it's only fair to let you prove your strength by defeating me in combat if you believe me to be the wrong choice as an heir." Kuro's gaze only sharpened as Aoi spoke, each word enraging the storm Aoi could see growing in her. Just then, Aoi returned Kuro's slap with one of her own. Her sister made no movement, gave no sign the strike had even affected her.

"With pleasure." She spat out. "A week from now we'll have our match. And sister, I won't show you mercy."

"Of course, neither I with you."

* * *

"Wow Aoi, your sister sound harsh."

"No, this is actually pretty normal." Later that night Aoi decided to call Yuka. Having a chance to vent to someone other than her father or Akira was a nice change of pace. "We tend to butt heads a lot, but this is the first time she's been so direct."

"Really? I didn't think you were the type to get into fights like this."

"Well, I don't know if we fight like you're thinking, it's mostly harsh comments and critiques with the occasion sparring session with less restrictions." Aoi paused, thinking on it for a moment. "Though I'll admit it's been getting harder and harder to ignore her snide remarks as she starts getting bolder." Aoi rubbed her temples. "Maybe having us fight it out will be for the best."

"I think so too. Trading blows and speaking through combat is the best way to settle things." Aoi couldn't help but laugh at Yuka's statement.

"No offense Yuka, but it sounds like you've been reading a few too many battle manga." Aoi could here Yuka let out a theatric sigh.

"Well it's not like I'm wrong, is it? If you guys can't use words to fix this than your fists will just have to do. You two can understand each other's feelings as your blows connect, each punch being a small piece of the other's true feelings…" Again, Aoi laughed at Yuka's metaphors.

"I suppose…" Aoi sighed. "I guess our rematch will have to wait then. Between this duel and my event in Korea I don't think it'd be wise to risk getting too injured before the event."

"It's fine, we can settle our score anytime. Just train hard for your event and duel. I'll try and come to your dojo when you fight your sister and support you."

"Thank you Yuka, I appreciate it."


	5. Chapter 5

Originally, Aoi had thought Smith would be against a duel with her sister since she had her event in Korea in a few weeks. It only seemed natural she would. The risk of Aoi getting badly injured in what would essentially be a no-holds-barred grudge match was just too great, not to mention somewhat irresponsible of her part for not considering it before accepting Kuro's challenge. Aoi had expected to be scolded for doing all this without telling her manager, but instead...

" _No,_ " What happened was _so_ much worse.

"Come _ooon_ Miss Umenokoji, this would be great material to use for a promo."

"I told you _no_. I will _not_ have this become some spectacle." The moment she told Smith about the duel she wanted to record and broadcast it on J6's media outlet. Smith had been pushing hard to get Aoi's permission to get broadcast her duel. For the last three days Smith had been calling Aoi, practically begging to let her cover her duel with Kuro. She even went as far as prostrating herself in front of Aoi and Kuro when she personally visited the dojo to ask, but Aoi refused every time. She didn't care how popular it would make her dojo or how many more sponsors she might get from the event. However, her manager was persistent to change her opinion.

"At _least_ let us get a few shots of the match. For your profile pictures if anything."

"I told you no and that's _final,_ Miss Smith." Before Smith could say anything else Aoi closed her phone, and Smith along with it. Some days it was nice having a flip phone.

"Arguing with your manager?" Aoi turned to Kuro, who had several shopping bags in hand.

"Yeah… she's determined. I'll give her that." She let out a sigh before continuing. "Thanks for going out shopping with me by the way Kuro."

"I didn't do it for _you_." Kuro stated. "We might as well get all the new equipment for the dojo now before they start renovating the place."

"Right…" _As cold as ever I see._ With the money that came in from her check as a J6 fighter, it was about time she started spending it. She had asked Kuro to help her pick up some new equipment and uniforms. Being a somewhat traditional dojo, there wasn't much they needed, but new uniforms and sparring equipment was definitely on the list, if anything for Aoi's Kobujutsu training. The two had just finished their shopping and were finally heading home, though there was another reason Aoi had asked Kuro to come with her.

"Anyway, about our duel." Kuro instantly perked up, her full attention now on Aoi. "Since you're the challenger I wanted to know the rules."

Kuro took a moment to think before answering. "It'll be a simple match; we fight until one of us surrenders or is unable to fight anymore. If I win, you'll give up your position as heir to our dojo."

"And if I win?" Aoi asked.

"If you win, then I'll apologize for doubting your abilities." Aoi frowned. _I mean, it sounds simple enough, but… just an apology for winning?_ Aoi knew where Kuro was coming from. As the heir, that really _should_ be it. She was basically a champion defending her title. When the champion wins they just got to keep their title and that was it. But still… just an apology?

"Anything else?"

"No, that's it." Aoi fought back a sigh. If anything, both her and Kuro shared the same straightforward and simple drive to prove themselves, but Aoi wasn't going to just leave it at that.

"Very well," Aoi gave a lighthearted smile. "Then if I win you also have to do all the chore at the dojo for the next month." Kuro stopped in her tracks, giving her sister a scowl. Looks like Aoi stepped on a landmine

"Do you think this is a _game_?" Kuro shot at her.

"Not at all, I just think you get more out of winning is all." Aoi maintain her calm expression, refusing to back down. "Do you have an issue with that?" Kuro was about to say something, but just huffed and continued walking. Yep, Aoi definitely touched a nerve there.

"Fine. It doesn't matter what you want, I'll beat you anyway." Kuro muttered to herself.

The two eventually reached the dojo and started to store their new equipment in the closet. For the most part the two silently worked, not saying a word to each other. It was how they typically did things together, but the tension between them was clearly felt. Well, Kuro's tension anyway. Aoi could feel Kuro's anger and annoyance just from standing near her. It was honestly hard to work with that murderous aura around her. As much as she wanted to say something about it she didn't want to risk getting into a fight with Kuro, verbal or physical. It seemed Kuro noticed Aoi's uneasiness and spoke.

"I'm not fighting because I hate you." Aoi stopped her work for a moment and turned to Kuro. "I still hate you." Kuro immediately added. "It's just…" She paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "When you lost in the first round of the World Fighting Tournament we all agreed you just weren't experienced in dealing with other fighting styles, so we supported you learning and studying other martial arts." Aoi nodded. That was part of the reason Aoi started her weapons training and joined her college's Aikido Club, as well as went to a few gyms in the area. Learning all those new techniques had really broadened her views as a fighter. She learned she couldn't do well in real combat without having more experience.

"Then when you lost again in the next tournament, it because you were distracted." Aoi froze a little. She had never told anyone the exact reason she was distracted in her fight with Brad expect for her father. It seemed Kuro didn't know either since she wasn't pressing the issue. Kuro noticed Aoi's sudden shift in mood, but didn't comment on it and continued. "When that happened I just thought, 'what happened to my warrior sister?' You're usually so focused and calm, but in that match you were just all over the place. Sloppy, uncoordinated, left yourself open. It was painful to watch you get beat up like that." Aoi had nothing to say to that, there was no excuse she could give to make up for her performance in the fourth tournament.

"After that I started to lose faith in you, but now…" She paused, then shook her head. "Actually, it doesn't matter anymore. We'll be settling this with our fists in a few days, so this will be settled one way or another."

"Right…" Aoi had to admit, she was surprised how deeply her performance in her fights had effected Kuro, and the family in general. She wondered if her other siblings felt the same. If her parents felt the same. It left her with something to think about. "I didn't know you felt that way Kuro."

"Well now you do." Kuro finished putting away her supplies and began to leave.

"Actually Kuro, you _did_ tell our parents about this, right?" Kuro stopped in her tracks, surprised by the question.

"What?"

"Our parents Kuro. I may be the heir, but mother and father made it clear all challenges in terms of positioning had to be ran by them first… you remember, right?" Kuro's face quickly turned red with embarrassment, then rage. _She forgot…_

"I knew that! I just thought _you_ would tell them first!" Aoi stood up, her face just as red with nervousness and anger.

" _You're_ the challenger, so I _thought_ you would take responsibility and notify them first!" Aoi shot back. This was so embarrassing. It'd be one thing if it was an on-the-spot challenge, but her and Kuro had been planning this match for a few days now. The two had made it no secret they had intended to face each other this week, but her parents were apparently clueless about the reason. Talking to them about it now would not only be embarrassing on both their ends, but completely irresponsible given the stakes. She could only imagine the lecture she and Kuro might get for this. "Okay, let me just call father and tell him, I'm sure it can't go _that_ bad." Aoi took out her cell phone, punching in her father's number.

"Hello?"

"Father? I… wanted to let you know something…"

"Yes?" Aoi froze. This was usually done face to face. Doing it over the phone just felt… _cowardly_. "Aoi?"

"Y-Yes! I… I wanted you to know that me and Kuro will be having a duel in four days. And… um…" Aoi glanced at Kuro, who was silently telling her to get to the point. ' _Shut up, brat._ You _should be the one doing this!_ ' She mouthed to her sister, who glared in return.

"And… you want me watch?"

"I-If you want…"

"Hm… I think I will, it's been awhile since you two have fought. Just be careful, okay? You're supposed to fight in Korea in a few weeks, right?"

"Yes… thank you for your concern father." Aoi felt a poke at her ribs (more of a punch really) from Kuro.

"Tell. Him." She hissed out.

"Shut. _Up_." Aoi hissed back.

"Aoi?"

"Ah, sorry father. Kuro's here in the dojo with me. We just got back from getting new equipment." Aoi's eyes narrowed at Kuro, who froze in place. "Actually…" A smile appeared on Aoi's lips. "She wants to say something. Would you mind?" Kuro was glaring daggers at Aoi, who only gave a lofty smile at her sister. The murder in Kuro's eyes had almost broke Aoi's poker face, but she didn't step down.

"Alright, let me speak to her."

"Okay." Aoi handed Kuro her cell phone, who practically snatched it out of her hands.

"H-Hello father… Yes I'm doing well… Yes… Yes… Actually, about our duel, we're… um… I wanted to challenge Aoi's position since we're the same rank now and… Yes… Yes she accept… I know… I know… we're both sorry… I- Yes… Yes… Okay… thank you for understand father… Okay." Kuro handed the phone to Aoi, her face was completely red with embarrassment and tears. "Your turn to get chewed out." Given how bad Kuro's face look, this would _not_ be a fun talk.

"Y-Yes?"

"Aoi, do you understand the gravity of the situation you have placed yourself in?" That was _not_ the tone someone used to a normal conversation. It was her father's 'Sensei' voice, something only used in the dojo or to scold students.

"I… I do…"

"I don't believe you really do. I think you let your emotions get to you and took on something without knowing the risks."

"Y-Yes father…" Ten minutes. For ten minutes Aoi's father had lectured her over the phone about how irresponsible her actions were. How she didn't take into account her job as a sponsored fighter. How she didn't take into account the risk of injury. How she let emotions take over and fell for her sister's taunts. Essentially, everything she thought Smith _would_ had said, but worse considering it came from her father. It was a demoralizing lecture that nearly had her in tears, much like Kuro. The only thing keeping her from actually breaking down was the fact that Kuro was standing there watching. After the lecture, he said he would allow their duel and spectate it.

Once the conversation ended Aoi put her phone away. Both her and Kuro looked at each other with murderous intent. Aoi was ready to grab Kuro by the arm and break it right now if she could get away with it.

"Don't be surprised if I **_kill you_** , dear sister." Kuro snarled.

"Feel free to try _little sister_. I'll make sure to beat you as black as your _**name**_ in four days."

* * *

"I'm going to kill her Yuka."

"Aoi, calm down for a moment."

"No Yuka, _I'm going to kill her._ I know at least seven techniques that will cripple her for life or worse, and I will _kill her_." That night, Aoi immediately called Yuka after her shower and vented her feelings. She meant every word of it. Kuro was dead to her, and would be dead for real in four days.

"C-C'mon Aoi, she's your sister. You guys said you fight all the time."

"What she _is_ , Yuka, is a demon that exists to embarrass me and plague my life. So I'm going to _kill her_ , exorcise that demon in her, and then kill her again."

"I… don't think that's physically possible Aoi." Aoi could hear Yuka's heavy sigh over the phone. "Jeez, what happened today."

"We got scolded by our parents for not telling them about our duel… it's a long story, but father is going to watch, and mother is going to be the judge." At this, Yuka laughed. "Not funny Yuka…"

"Sorry, sorry. I know how that feels, my master chewed me out all the time for stuff like that." Aoi shook her head. She could actually see that happening. "Anyway, mind if I still come to watch."

"Sure, I could use the support. Thanks."

"No problem Aoi, anything for a friend."


	6. Chapter 6

For the last three days Aoi had been steeling herself for her fight against Kuro, and now the day of the match had arrived. Aoi was in the locker room of the dojo changing into her uniform, taking a few calming breaths as she mentally prepared herself. Despite what was at stake Aoi was actually excited for the match. It was another chance to test herself against an opponent of equal skill, and with the same fighting style no less. She smiled to herself, realizing her eagerness. For the insults and tension between Aoi and her sister, in the end it only fueled her drive to get stronger and test herself further. The thought of clashing with Kuro in a competitive match without holding back thrilled her. Her mind played back to their last conversation.

* * *

 _"Don't be surprised if I_ _kill you_ _, dear sister."_

 _"Feel free to try little sister. I'll make sure to beat you as black as your_ _name_ _in four days."_

* * *

Looking back, it was rather embarrassing for her to lose her temper like that. The two hadn't said a word to each other since then minus the occasional snarl or scowl at the other. Overall childish behavior now that she thought about it, but sisters had a right to act that way toward each other from time to time. _I wonder if Kuro really meant what she said._ Aoi doubted it. Aoi had told Yuka she was ready to kill Kuro, but that was said out of anger. Three days had passed and she didn't have that intent anymore. It was hopefully the same in Kuro's case as well, but that didn't mean they'd both walk out of the match completely intact. _Then again, it wouldn't be the first time serious injury had happened in a match at our dojo._ With her position, and frankly her credibility, as the heir on the line Aoi would fight without reserve or leniency. "That's right." She told herself. "There will be no mercy. This is about my pride as a warrior being tested." She quickly finished changing into her uniform, her white, sleeveless dougi, black hakama. It would probably be the last time she wore it with the new uniforms coming in. A nice little send off for her old uniform. "Heh," She was ready for battle. Aoi let out one final breath before nodding to herself and headed to the dojo.

As Aoi entered the dojo she made note of the small crowd. Aoi's father was sitting off to the side, focused on center of the room and waiting, almost in some meditative state. Aoi honestly didn't know if he was there out of duty or to examine his daughters. He made it no secret how irked he was about the whole situation. It was risking injury to Aoi before her trip to Korea and done out of rivalry and unchecked emotions. It definitely broke a lot of the philosophies her father had drilled into her and Kuro, so it was understandable why he was upset and probably didn't want to watch this match. Hopefully he'd understand though.

Aoi's mother was in the center of the room, standing and waiting. Unlike her father, she said nothing against the match, nor for it. She only said that she would make sure to end the fight if it was clear one side was winning as to not increase the risk of heavy injury. Kuro was to the left of her mother, watching Aoi carefully as she entered, sizing her up.

Lastly, Smith and Yuka were off to the side opposite of her father, Yuka sitting and patiently waiting for the match to begin while Smith was taking pictures of the dojo and the people within it, much to Aoi's chagrin. Her manager was persistent in her attempts to cover this match. Every day since Aoi hung up on her there were more texts, more calls, more begging, more pleading. It didn't stop with Aoi's cell phone either, she called the family home phone as well, begging her parent's permission. After getting constantly called and texted so much Aoi finally gave in and allowed her manager to come and take pictures on the condition she not photograph anything during the actual match. Hopefully Smith would keep her end of the bargain.

Aoi stepped to the center of the ring, placing herself on the right side of her mother. Neither her nor Kuro said a word to each other.

"We will now begin the match between Aoi Umenokoji and Kuro Umenokoji." Her mother announced. "The match will end when a combatant either surrenders or I deem they can no longer continue to fight." Her mother looked at Aoi, then at Kuro. "Are the combatants ready?" Both girls nodded. "Very well, begin."

Aoi made the first move, kicking at Kuro's shin and making her stagger. With her balance lost Aoi quickly struck Kuro with a knee strike Kuro's stomach, following up by slamming her elbow down onto her head. The blows left Kuro in a dazed state. She was hurt, and Aoi wasn't going to let the chance to do more damage slip by. She grabbed onto Kuro's arm, but Kuro fought against Aoi's grip, trying to pull away. She wasn't so hurt she couldn't fight back. _Damn it._ Aoi continued pulling at Kuro's arm, trying gain control, but it wasn't working. Begrudgingly, Aoi let go and back away to get distance. Kuro quickly recover and stood up, now going on the offensive.

She came at Aoi with an elbow to her stomach, making her double over. Then in a fluid motion, using the same arm to slammed her elbow down on Aoi's neck and force her to the ground. For a moment, Aoi couldn't breathe. She coughed, bringing a hand to her neck trying to get air, but Kuro didn't relent. She grabbed one of Aoi's arms and twisted it hard, nearly pulling it out of its socket. The pain of it made Aoi cry out. Kuro then gave Aoi a solid kick in the stomach, then two more to her face before finally letting go.

Aoi quickly forced herself up afterwards to show she was still able to fight. She wasn't out, but Kuro made it clear she was out for blood. Aoi's breath was staggered and heavy now thanks to the damage Kuro had done. Her arm was sore, but she could still move it. _This won't be easy…_ Since her and Kuro both had the same fighting style Aoi knew trying to go in with strikes would end up being a very painful mistake if Kuro could probably counter. Aoi had given Kuro a bit of damage, but she was definitely worse off. _I'll have to surprise her and take her down quickly._

Aoi moved in, grabbing Kuro by the shoulders and pushing her off balance. She kicked at her leg again with more force, sending Kuro down on one knee. Aoi then quickly grabbed Kuro by the arm and forced her down on her knees, bending her arm back and now making Kuro cry out in pain. She continued to force Kuro down, slamming her onto the floor and stomping hard on her back. Kuro didn't move to hurry back up, likely still in pain, and Aoi continued her assault. She grabbed Kuro's arm once again and twisted it, a similar move to what she did to Aoi, then slammed her knee into Kuro's face while bending the arm further out of place. Aoi could had sworn she heard a bone break from that, but Kuro's body looked fine as Aoi stood up. That series of blows definitely did damage. Kuro remained on the floor, but she was unconscious, Aoi could see her trying to stand up. Aoi wasn't going to let that happen. She grabbed Kuro's head as she started to stand, kneeing her in the face before slamming her back into the ground and stomping down on her head. After that, Kuro didn't get up again. Aoi was going to continue her attack, her mother soon stopped the match after that. Kuro was unable to continue, Aoi had won.

Aoi let out a sigh and looked at her sister. She wasn't unconscious, but she had a bloody nose from Aoi's knee and several bruises on her face. According to her mother Aoi also dislocated Kuro's shoulder. Heavy damage, but she'd be fine after some proper care and rest. Aoi wanted to approach Kuro, but a cold glare from her sister had made her back away. She didn't want her older sister to be around her at the moment. _I figured as much._ Aoi would probably feel the same if she lost. It'd be like the victor coming to gloat, even if she had good intentions. _So much for reconciling our issues with our fists like Yuka had talked about._ She sighed. Her title and rank were safe, but her relationship with Kuro would probably take a while to mend. Aoi could only hope she'd get a chance to talk to Kuro later.

"Congrats on winning Aoi!" _And speaking of Yuka…_ Her friend patted Aoi on the back.

"Oh, thanks." Aoi a sheepish smile and nodded. "Kuro is definitely a strong opponent, I honestly thought I would had lost if I didn't get her on the ground that fast."

"Yeah, you sure don't hold back, do you?"

"It'd be more of an insult to her if I did." Aoi looked to Kuro, who only glared at Aoi. "Besides," She turned to Yuka. "It wasn't like she gave me a break either. I'm fairly sure she would had broken my arm and leg if I didn't go at her with full power." Yuka nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, me and my friend Satomi are lucky to just come out of our fights with a few bruises." Yuka gave a laugh, trying to brighten the mood a little. It helped, somewhat.

"Ah, very well done Miss Umenokoji. That was a very intense match." Aoi turned to Smith, who was quickly taking pictures of her and Yuka. Her eyes twitched in irritation, but she made no remark on it.

"Thank you Miss Smith." She nodded.

"No problem, this will make a great story to put in our magazine before we hit Korea. I can see the headline now: Sister Defends Her Title." Smith looked to Aoi, who gave no reaction whatsoever to Smith's title. She quickly reeled back. "Well, it's a work in progress.

"Right…" Aoi had some serious doubts about that.

"Trust me, it'll work out perfectly." Smith gave her best smile to reassure Aoi, though her plastic smile had lost its effect rather quickly.

"If you say so Miss Smith." Smith's smile softened to a more sheepish, defeated look, but she continued.

"Anyway, mind if I got a few quick words in from our winner?" Aoi looked at Yuka, then over to Kuro who was being cared for by their mother.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Great, I'll see if I can get a word in with your parents and sister too." The likelihood of _that_ was slim, but Smith was welcomed to try. "Now then, let's go somewhere a little less busy and get to it!"


	7. Chapter 7

The real surprise Aoi had while she was waiting for her flight with Smith wasn't seeing her family, it was seeing Akira and his grandfather with them. Even more surprising was seeing him in something that wasn't his usual karate gi, instead seeing him in a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. She had to do a double take to make sure it was actually him. Aoi herself was in a bright blue blouse and matching long skirt. She had to admit she was so use to wearing traditional clothing like her kimono and gi it felt awkward to dress normally. About as awkward as seeing Akira in casual wear.

"Aoi!"

"Akira!" Aoi ran to him smiling, and him smiling back at her. It had been months since she late saw him. Not since seeing and facing him in the tournament semi-finals did she get a chance to meet up with him. And now that he was here… _Now!_ She threw a quick jab for his face once she was in range, which he easily dodged and tripped her, making her stumble forward before shoving her to the ground in a fluid motion. She rolled and immediately sprang back up, pivoting to face him. The two smiled at each other, both entering their fighting stances. As far as Aoi was concerned the only people in the airport were her and Akira. The only thing on her mind now was the rematch that she had been hoping to have, one more chance to see if she could beat her longtime friend and rival. The two started to slowly close the distance between them, ready to go for another exchange of blows before Aoi's father and Akira's grandfather stepped in between them.

"Enough you two! Are you both truly so childish?" Her father's harsh words snapped her back to reality and she backed away. She could hear mummers from onlookers of her and Akira's would-be bout, wondering if they were on a movie set or something along those lines. Her face turned bright red at the realization of her actions and she immediately bowed in apology, Akira soon following.

"Sorry father…"

"Yes, sorry grandfather, that was immature of us." The two men glared at them, but said nothing more and had the crowd turn their attention away, apologizing for the disturbance. Both of them sighed with relief. _That could had been much worse._ _Thankfully we're in public, or who knows what they'd do to us._ She turned to Akira, smiling playfully. " _So_ , finally decided to hike down from the mountains to see me?" Akira gave a wry smile and jabbed Aoi's forehead with his finger.

"Funny Aoi. No, we called a taxi to pick us up from the dojo to meet your father here." Aoi rubbed her head, letting out a laugh.

"Oh my, Akira Yuki knows how a _phone_ works. What is the world coming to?" She received another finger-jab from Akira.

"Not funny."

"It was a _little_ funny." The two stared at each other, grinning before bursting into laughter. It was nice to finally catch up with Akira, it was almost impossible to get to him since he lived in the mountains where cell phone reception rarely existed, and getting to Yuki Budokan on a whim was just impossible with her work at her own dojo, college, and now the sponsored fighter deal.

"So _this_ is the famous Akira Yuki?" The two turned to Smith as she spoke up.

"Ah, hello ma'am." Akira gave the woman a small bow. "I heard you took in Aoi as a fighter. I hope she lives up to your expectations."

"Oh she has Mr. Yuki, in more ways than one." Smith gave her typical salesman smile and pulled out her business card, handing it to Akira. "Feel free to give us a call if you're interested in joining her." She sounded that a little _too_ inviting for Aoi to think it was _just_ Smith taking advantage of the situation. "It'd be nice to have a _champion_ of one of our tournament work for us." And _that_ comment definitely stung Aoi's pride. She could feel her face growing hot with anger. Akira seemed to notice Aoi's annoyance as well going by the worried expression on his face.

"Thank you for the offer ma'am, but I'll have to decline." He sounded almost nervous, probably for good reason as Aoi's temper was quickly shortening.

"Aw, how unfortunate." Smith frowned slightly, clearly an act on her part. "The fame behind your name would make promoting you an ea-."

"Ahem," Aoi cleared her throat, rather loudly. Smith flinched slightly from the sudden noise. "Miss Smith, _our flight_?" Aoi wore a smile as she spoke, but her words were curt and dry. Smith quickly backed away from Akira and gave an almost innocent smile at Aoi, as if she was doing all of this to tease her.

"Right, our private jet should be here any minute. I'll get someone to take our luggage. Pardon me." Smith quickly left, leaving Akira and Aoi alone. Aoi scowled at Smith as she left, they'd definitely have to talk about that later.

"Anyway…" Akira spoke up. "How's your training coming along?"

"Great, I had a match with a karate fighter named Yuka Takeuichi, then a duel with Kuro, so things have been rather intense lately."

"Yuka… that rising karate champion?"

"Yes, she was pretty strong. I lost, but we'll have a rematch soon enough." They continued to talked, mostly about how they were doing, how they were training, promising to make time to spar with each other again at some point. It was always nice to talk to Akira like this. He was probably the only guy she could talk to about martial arts related topics. Most guys at her college just puffed up their chests and tried to talk tough whenever she brought up her training, going as far as to challenge her and usually end up losing (then avoiding her afterwards). With Akira they could just talk as equals and rivals, no bragging, no petty debates over who was stronger, just two fighters discussing fighting and other topics. Before long Smith came back to tell Aoi the private jet had arrived.

"Well, I'll be off now." Aoi stood up and patted Akira on the shoulder. "We really should have a rematch when I get back."

"You know where I'll be Aoi."

"Yeah, deep in the mountains relearning how to use a cell phone again." She received another finger-jab.

"Not funny."

"It was a _little_ funny."

"If you two are done _flirting_ …" Aoi turned to see Kuro and her father standing near, both looking rather impatient. _Whoops…_ She gave her family a nervous smile and quickly said her goodbyes to Akira before turning her attention to them.

"Do your best when you get there now." Her father began. "You're representing our dojo as well as those you work under, so be respectful."

"Of course father."

"And don't lose either." Kuro added. "You beat _me_ after all, so it'd look bad if you lost to anyone else." Aoi let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry Kuro, I'll make sure to win my match this time." Kuro only scoffed at Aoi's words, but said nothing else. In her own way Kuro _did_ care for Aoi, even if she was a bit aggressive about showing it. "Well, I'm off now. Wish me luck." With that Aoi, quickly followed Smith to the jet. Next stop, South Korea.

* * *

"So, that was the famous Akira Yuki?" Smith spoke at last once the jet had taken off.

"Ah, yes. We're old friends."

"Interesting…"

"Interesting?" Aoi narrowed her eyes at Smith. "Miss Smith, it _almost_ sounded like you were trying to trade _me_ for Akira back at the airport." She did her best to keep her voice even, but remembering how insistence Smith was acting toward Akira made her think she was settling for sloppy seconds with Aoi.

"Oh, it's not that at all Miss Umenokoji, not at all." Smith dismissively waved her hand, trying cease Aoi's questioning. "It's just that we've tried several times to contact Mr. Yuki in the past, but he just seemed to drop off the face of the planet after every tournament." Aoi crossed her arms and frowned. She wasn't convinced, but she there was no point in continuing to press her manager, not yet anyway.

"He has a habit of doing a lot of secluded training back at his family dojo." Aoi stated. "Besides, he declined, so I _hope_ you respect my friend's wish and _leave him be_." Smith frowned for only a moment before going back to her usual smile.

"Very well," Smith said nothing more after that for a while, leaving the two in awkward silence.

Aoi took a moment to look around the jet. She had heard private jets were a bit luxurious, but to actually see for herself how fancy they could be was eye-opening. The place was practically a small living room. There was a minibar, two beds, a couch, even a TV and DVD player. It was a lot to take in now that she had a chance to see everything. Thankfully the flight was only going to be about two hours, so it wasn't like she'd be using all these features yet. Sitting in silence and waiting to land was just fine by her. At least it was until Smith spoke up again.

"Actually, I wanted to show you something." Smith took out her briefcase and handed Aoi a few files within it. As Aoi glanced through them she recognized several of the pictures and names.

"These are-"

"Yup, I remember you saying you were in your college's Aikido club, so I took the liberty of reaching out to a few of the members." Smith puffed her chest out proudly. "We want to make the perfect crew for you and your future training, complete with personal trainers, a professional gym, tailored sparring partners, the works." Aoi continued looking through the files. They weren't just a list of her club members, Smith had files on trainers, fighters, and many other people that would be overall helpful to her goals. She even had a list of recommend diets. _Wow… she really went all out._ "Your thoughts?" Aoi found herself stunned. She almost felt bad for being so harsh with her before. _Almost._

"I… well, it's a lot to take in." She admitted.

"We'll go slow, take it week by week after this match, alright?"

"Sure. Thank you for the opportunity Miss Smith." _I guess she isn't as self-serving as I thought…_ She continued looking through the files, absorbing as much information as she could. Everything was looking good until...

"Miss Smith, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure Miss Umenokoji, ask away."

"What is _this_?" Aoi took out a few sheets from a file and showed it to Smith. The color immediately drained from Smith's face as she froze in place, staring at the sheets. The sheets in question were several sketches and photos of mannequins wearing many different types of outfits. From the sketches it was clear they were meant to be Aoi, and each sketch had Smith's signature on them, so either Smith drew them herself or commissioned them. Most of the outfits were fairly traditional, similar to Aoi's usually style, but some were clearly just meant to show off her curves. _Several_ were clearly meant to show off her curves in fact. After glance through a few photos and pictures Aoi couldn't tell if they were for her or for a geisha.

"Um… gee, what _are_ those?" Smith tried her hardest to give her best smile and innocent tone, but it quickly faltered under Aoi's harsh glare.

" _Miss Smith_ …" Aoi gripped the sheets tightly. Smith was sweating under Aoi's intense gaze, shrinking further and further into her seat.

"Well Miss Umenokoji, they're just, um… we just wanted to make you look more _appealing_ to audience, you know? Play up that traditional, Yamato Nadeshiko, Japanese Beauty angle!" Aoi's glare only sharpened as Smith spoke.

"Hmph." Aoi turned away and placed the photos and pictured back into the file, leaving one out and showing it to Smith. "This one." Smith stared at the picture in confusion. It was one of Smith's sketches, a black kimono top with only one sleeve on the right, leaving the top left side exposed save for sarashi around the chest area, the back of the outfit having J6's logo on it, and black hakama for the pants. It definitely had a traditional look about it that Aoi liked, and it show off enough of her body that she was willing to deal with. "I'll wear this one."

"O-Okay…" With unsteady hands Smith took the photo. "I'll have it commission right away…"

"You do that." The rest of the plane ride was in silence after that until they at last reached their landing site at the J6 South Korean headquarters.

* * *

After taking care of all their business and arrangements at the J6 headquarters, Smith led Aoi to where she'd be staying while in South Korea. They'd be in the J6 headquarters, but apparently Smith had prepared living arrangements for Aoi. That itself wasn't too surprising considering all the things they had already done for her, but she still was caught off guard by how easily the company could do all these things for her. It was almost scary when she thought about it.

"And here is you're your room!" Smith stopped once they reached the end of the hallway, a door in front of them. It looked like a normal apartment door, but once Smith opened it and showed Aoi her room she only stare, wide-eyed and speechless at what she saw. The room wasn't just nice, it was practically _custom-made_ for her. It was traditional Japanese-style room, from the calligraphy on the walls, to the futon in the corner, to the small table in the center, right down to the tatami flooring. It was like a piece of her dojo was cut out and planted right inside the J6 headquarters. Aoi had to look back at the carpet floor behind them just to make sure they were in the same building.

"Miss Smith…"

"Oh? You like it?" Smith clapped her hands together, giving a satisfied smirked. "We redid the room just for you! Nothing's too much for our little warri-"

Aoi's head snapped in Smith's direction. She too wore a smile, but it held no warmth to it. " _Please_ tell you didn't just _assume_ I'd want a room like this because of my lifestyle?" For all the venom in her voice and all the murderous intent she was forcing onto her manager, Smith didn't falter, maintaining an innocent face. It seemed Aoi's last dose of venom had made Smith immune to her fouler side.

"Are you saying you don't like it?" Aoi's smile twitched at the question. In all honesty she _did_ like it, it was familiar and made it easier to adjust to her new surroundings. And if she was being honest, she really couldn't sleep in anything but a futon anyway. But… but… the assumption that she'd want this without asking just felt overbearing! She wanted to scold Smith for this, but doing so would mean either going to a new room she didn't want, or having Smith bring up something about their contract. And worse of all, that _damn smile_ on Smith's face wouldn't go away. She said nothing, but Aoi could tell that Smith was just _gloating_ behind her kind smile, laughing at how Aoi couldn't say anything either some consequence coming up she didn't want. She had won this round.

"It's fine!" She turned her head away and let out a quiet sigh. It seemed she'd never beat Smith in a battle of words, so she took her shoes off and walked in with Smith following behind. "In any case, about my match…"

"Ah yes, the match." Smith made her way to a small table and sat down, Aoi following suit. "On your end it's very simple, just show up to the dojang in uniform and win!" Aoi raised an eye at that.

"That's… it?"

"For you at least. I still have to finish organizing things before the match. Get the camera crew, call Miss Lee and confirm the date of the fight. Just a lot of business stuff."

Aoi sighed, the lack of involvement she had bugged her, but she'd manage. "Very well then."

"Oh don't worry Miss Umenokoji, everything will be ready in three days, so just train hard until then and do your best during the match, your manager will take care of everything!"

"If you say so."


	8. Chapter 8

It was almost suspiciously easy to get Smith to allow Aoi to visit Lee Won Hee's dojang. She expected Smith to refuse, to say something along the lines that she shouldn't risk interfering with a rival's training or creating bad press by visiting without notice. However, Smith almost immediately set up the arrangements for Aoi to visit and practically kicked her out of the J6 headquarters. The lack of resistance was baffling, but this _was_ the same woman that caved rather easily to many things when the pressure was laid on. Still, it rang some alarm bells in Aoi's head.

"This must be the place." Aoi's driver stopped at a small building just outside of the city. It reminded her a lot of her own family's dojo in a way, being near the outskirts of the city like this. _I didn't think it'd be this small though._ Given the fact that J6 was going to be televising this event she expected a larger place. _Then again,_ my _family's dojo is rather small as well._ Stepping out of the car, Aoi thanked her drive and told them she'd call when she was ready to be picked up. With that done, she headed into the building. As Aoi approached it she could hear the sounds of a fight, likely a sparring match of some kind.

As Aoi stepped inside it turned out her guess was right, two girls were fiercely fighting one another. One was a small, blue-eyed blonde in pigtails, the other was taller brunette with short hair. Aoi quietly made her way inside and watched the match in a corner of the room, sitting on the floor near the mats. Aoi noted the smaller girl's fighting technique as the match went on. She knew taekwondo was a kick-heavy martial art, but the smaller girl was throwing punches almost like a boxer or muay thai fighter would. Every time the smaller girl got close into the taller girl's space she was throwing fast jabs and hooks at her opponent's body and face, and when the taller girl retreated she used equally fast kicks as she closed in again. The taller girl was doing her best to react, but it didn't seem there wasn't a space that the smaller girl couldn't reach. It was like the taller girl was trapped inside the smaller girl's invisible circle no matter how much she struggled to get out of it. All the taller girl could do was guard and try to push back the smaller girl to no avail as she was force to endure several punches and kicks that soon sent her to the ground, ending the bout. Both fighters were out of breath and drenched in sweat, the taller girl more so than the smaller one.

 _That was very impressive._ The shorter girl's speed was incredible. The height disadvantage between her and her opponent was completely irrelevant. That girl was dangerous as every range. _I'm not even sure I could counter some of those strike they were so fast._

The smaller girl helped the taller girl up, complementing her for lasting so long and giving her bits of advice before telling her to go change. The taller girl nodded and headed toward what Aoi assumed was the locker room in the back. The smaller girl was about to head in that direction as well until she spotted Aoi and turned to her.

"If you're here for lesson we're wrapping up for the day." The girl huffed out, still out of breath from her fight. Aoi shook her head.

"Ah, I'm not here for lessons, I was just watching." Aoi smiled at the girl. "I'm Aoi Umenokoji,"

"Oh, so you're the one I'm going to fight." The girl took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "I'm Lee Won Hee, guess we'll be duking it out in a few days."

Aoi examined the girl for a moment. _So, this is Lee Won Hee._ From what Aoi had witnessed she'd be a tough opponent. "That seems to be the case." She gave Lee Won another smile. "Let's have a good match when the time comes."

" _Yeeeah_ … No promises…" Lee Won gave Aoi a shaky smile.

"Is there an issue?"

"Not really," Lee Won, took a seat on the floor across from Aoi. "It's just that I took this whole exhibition match thing to make my dojo look as good as possible. And to do that I have to beat you." She scratched the back of her head. "Like, badly."

"Badly?" Aoi repeated.

"Yeah, that's how those J6 folks explained it to me. They said I gotta' fight you like it's life or death." She shrugged, looking away. "Ratings and stuff I guess. I know that World Fighting Tournament they run can be some pretty intense stuff too, so..." She shrugged again.

"Yes, it _can_ be. I know I had to sign a number of waivers and agreements to enter the preliminaries, and they make it very clear how few rules there are in regards of safety and protection. I remember my first time participating." She let out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "I broke my arm and two ribs in my first match, it wasn't my brightest moment, after that I-" Aoi was going to continue, but Lee Won's face went dark with dread after hearing that, the color completely drained from her face as Aoi spoke. She immediately stopped speaking.

 _Oops… I think I made it worse._ Aoi quickly gave a dismissive wave, trying to taking back her words. "D-Don't worry, this is a very difference kind of event, I'm sure they just said that to make sure you to give it your all." Lee Won's expression lightened, but it was clear she was still nervous, Aoi's words clearly not helping. _This is probably Lee Won's first time fighting under these kinds of conditions._ "I understand how you feel, but don't worry. Just do your best." Aoi placed her hand on chest. "I'm fairly strong and sturdy, so please don't feel you need to hold back. Trust me, my sister has probably done worse than anything you'll probably do." Lee Won finally cracked a smile and nodded, albeit it seemed a little forced. Either way the mood was somewhat restored. _Funny, it feels like encouraging the kids at the dojo…_ "Feel better?"

"Yeah, a bit… It's just kind of weird how I was told to handle all this, you know? It's not every day you're told to beat the stuffing out of someone." Aoi's smile faltered slightly.

 _I wouldn't have worded like that, but…_ "In any case." Aoi began. "I hope this event does well for your dojang. You seem like a very capable martial artist." Surprisingly, Won Lee blushed at the complement, giving a bashful grin.

"Oh, thanks." She said. "Actually, that girl you saw me fighting is this dojang's only other student here besides me." Now it was Aoi's turn to give a dark expression. _Her only-_ She glanced back at the locker room, seeing the brunette say her goodbyes to Lee Won and head out.

"Wow, I… I didn't think…" Lee Won's bashful grin turned to a more serious expression.

" _Yeeeah_ , this place just doesn't have enough money to stay open anymore, and my father can't afford to invest the money he makes as a curator to keep this place running with so little business." Lee Won bit her lip before continue. "So yeah, I _really_ hope this event does this place some good. It's not some broken down dojo either, it's in good condition and has a lot of history with my family." She sighed, leaning back a little. "Hell, I left college early to try and get this place some more members." She looked back at Aoi and suddenly started blushing with embarrassment, waving off her words. "Uh, sorry. I'm not asking for pity or anything, I'm just kinda' venting." She then gave forced grin. "Guess I'll have to do my best to kick your butt and make this place look good, huh?" Aoi returned the smile, though it was a bit more forced than she'd like. As a dojo heiress herself Aoi knew what Lee Won was going through. Her dojo wasn't exactly going through hard times, but she _did_ notice how many more students her dojo had gotten after her participation in the World Fighting Tournament. _With luck, this could be good for Lee Won's dojang after all._

"Don't expect it to be that easy. I could come out on top." Aoi made sure her words were more playful than insulting, and Lee Won seemed to notice it as well.

"I've seen you in your debut, and I think I can take you on." Aoi felt a sudden pang from the mention of that. For a split second her smile turned into a scowl, but she quickly returned to a friendly expression.

 _She's just being competitive Aoi, don't take it personally…_ She wanted to believe her own words, but Aoi already took it personally, and Lee Won seemed to notice too, giving a nervous laugh to play off her words. She was teasing obviously, but the damage to Aoi's pride was already done.

"Hehehehe… hit a nerve did I?"

Aoi's smile didn't falter this time. "Ah, not at all. I'm just surprised you caught it."

"Well, I watched some of your highlights in the World Fighting Tournament and that debut of yours against that Yuka chick. Gotta' know your opponent, right?"

"Agreed…" It was the reason Aoi came here after all. "Well then Lee Won, I guess you've made yourself a rival."

"Guess so…"

Aoi stood up and began heading out the dojang. She made sure to keep a pleasant demeanor, but inside she still felt the sting of Lee Won's comment. "Let's have a good match."

"Totally! Let's give it our all!" If Lee Won noticed it at all, she made no effort to show it.

* * *

The day after visiting Lee Won's dojang Aoi decided to spend time in J6's training room. Smith had told her their headquarters had an area for training and working out. It was mostly for J6 bodyguards, but she was welcomed to use it too. Again Aoi was surprised by just how much was available to her. Treadmills, heavy bags, speed bags, weights of all kinds, mats to spar on, the place spared nothing in terms of equipment. It wasn't exactly tailored for a martial artist specifically, but it was something, and Aoi planned to make use of it.

"Hah!" She tossed her sparring partner to the ground, a girl about Aoi's height and build with just a centimeter or two taller. Her partner immediately rose up and tackled Aoi, forcing her to the ground where the two started to wrestle for control. Her sparring partner was a bodyguard for one of head agents in J6 and offered to help Aoi train for a bit. She was glad she had someone to train with, but her partner was surprisingly tough. They had finished three rounds and Aoi had tapped out each time. She refused to stop until she was either reaching her limit or was up in terms of wins.

"Wow, someone's out for blood today." It was Smith's voice. Aoi didn't bother looking for her manager as she focused on her partner.

"I'm a little busy Miss Smith." Aoi grabbed her opponent's arm and started to give a forceful armbar, hearing the satisfying groans of pain from her partner as she did. Her partner soon tapped out and Aoi let go. _That's one point for me. Three more to go…_ "Think we can take a break for a moment Hokuto?" Her partner nodded, and Aoi stood and turned to Smith. Immediately she noticed something was off. Smith had rather heavy bags under her eyes and her usual salesman smile seemed more forced than usual. "Are you alright Miss Smith? Did you need anything?" Smith gave a dismissive wave.

"Oh no, just checking on my little warrior." Despite how bad she looked Smith's tone was as chipper as ever. "Working hard as always I see."

"After seeing Lee Won yesterday I just feel I need to be at my best for tomorrow." Smith nodded, giving a few snickers at Aoi's words.

"Aha, so my plan to inspired you by scouting the enemy worked after all." Aoi fought back the urge to roll her eyes at that. _I pretty sure you wanted me out of the building for the day, but…_ It was best not to comment on that. "Just don't overdo it now."

"I won't, these sparring match are all I plan on doing until the afternoon. Then I'll get plenty of water and head to bed."

"Oh, look at you being all efficient and diligent. It makes my job so much easier." Aoi wanted to ignore it, but something just felt really off about the woman today.

"Are you alright Miss Smith? You seem less like yourself than usual." Smith almost immediately waved off Aoi's concerns.

"Oh I'm right as rain Miss Umenokoji. Just got an earful from my superiors is all."

"Is that so?" Aoi didn't like where this was going. "Is it because of me?" Her mind went back to her debut. She had handedly lost. _Come to think of it, Miss Smith was pretty desperate Smith was in trying to get footage of my bout with Kuro as well…_ She wasn't much of a business person, but she knew it didn't exactly mean anything good to debut losing and not appearing again for almost a month later. Smith seemed to be reading Aoi's mind and quickly interjected.

"Oh no, not at all. Things haven't been running too smooth on my end is all. Getting all the right pieces together and setting them up is quite the challenge you know. And… well, the big wigs are just getting antsy is all."

"I-I see…" She lowered her head, giving a small bow in apology. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Smith raised her hand, again waving it off.

"No no, it's not you at all Miss Umenokoji. It's not like the higher-ups are threatening to pull back or anything, they just want a bit more." She gave Aoi a thumbs up. "You know, more coverage, more stories, more events, all that fun stuff. Just leave it to your manager, I've got a master plan that'll _really_ wow them, _and_ you." Aoi wanted to ask more, but, Smith only gave a few more words of encouragement before walking off.

 _Miss Smith…_ Despite all her faults and annoyance Smith _was_ still doing her best for Aoi's sake and had done mostly good things for her between giving her money for her dojo and giving her the opportunity to travel and fight other martial artists like this. _I won't let your confidence in me be in vain._ Aoi grabbed a water bottle quickly gulped it down before going back to the mats. "Hokuto, are you ready for another round?" Her sparring partner nodded and Aoi started to take her fighting stance. "Good, come at me with no mercy. I'll make sure to beat you again this time."


	9. Chapter 9

Her heart was racing, sweat pouring down her face, and she was taking one hell of a beating from Lee Won, but despite all that Aoi was feeling pretty good right now. The rules of the match were simple: one round, no time limit, no hitting the groin, eye-gouging, hair pulling or things of that nature, and the winner was chosen after either the referee declaring a knockout or submission. Other than that this would be a straightforward fight to the finish, something Aoi had grown accustom to since her entries in the World Fighting Tournament.

"Hah!" Aoi struck Lee Won's face with an open palm, following it with a side kick to her ribs. She had hoped that would topple her opponent, but Lee Won stood her ground and retaliated with several quick jabs to Aoi's face and a kick to Aoi's stomach that had her drop to her knees.

 _She's tough…_ Aoi started pushed herself up, only to have Lee Won slam her foot into Aoi's face with a front kick and knock her flat on her back. _I take that back, she's_ _ **relentless**_ _._ Aoi thought back to the match she saw Lee Won had with her student. She found herself in the same predicament. Since the beginning of the match Lee Won had caught Aoi off guard with fast punches that threw off her guard, and from there the match had been Aoi doing her best to block and deflect Lee Won's punches with a good portion of them hitting home, slowly battering her face and body. Whenever Aoi tried to get distance Lee Won would forcibly pull Aoi back with in mercilessly kicks and made her drop her guard completely to recover, leaving her open for a brutal series of punches and kicks to the face. Aoi got in a few hits in, but Lee Won had been turning Aoi into a ragdoll throughout the fight. She wasn't giving her a moment of rest.

"Haaah!" Lee Won stomp hard on Aoi's stomach, then gave three quick punches her face while she was down before finally backing off. Aoi could feel her blood starting to come down her lip and her right eye swell. _How much more of this can I take?_ She let out a groan and forced herself back up, getting back into her fighting stance. Aoi could just barely make Lee Won's imagine out at this point, all the strikes to the face Aoi had taken were really starting to set in now. _No, I'm not losing this fight._ She steeled herself for another assault, but Lee Won only stared her down, breathing heavily.

 _She's not attacking me._ It was the first time she had given Aoi a break since their match began. _She must be getting tired herself… I wonder._ Aoi inched closer to Lee Won, feinting an elbow strike that Lee Won tried to block, then kicked at her shin. Lee Won staggered back, but neither fell or retaliated, instead holding her ground and continued catching her breath. _Just as I thought, she went so heavy on offense to try and knock me out before running out of steam._ Aoi grabbed Lee Won's arm and forced her on knees, twisting her arm before stomping on her leg. She was rewarded with the satisfying groans of Lee Won before letting go. _Looks like I was right._ Aoi took a few steps back and let Lee Won stand up again, still catching her breath. _Alright Lee Won, I'm going to pay you back for the beating I took._ Aoi may had been somewhat worn out after taking all those hits, but playing defensively and conserving her energy definitely proved to be an advantage.

Aoi went for Lee Won's legs, pulling them back and forcing her on her back. She then flipped Lee Won over to her stomach and slammed her foot against the back of Lee Won's head and followed it with a single-leg Boston Crab. Again Lee Won cried out, but Aoi let go before her opponent could even think of tapping out. Aoi stood up, grabbing Lee Won's right arm and painfully twisting it forcing it behind her back while she placed her foot over Lee Won's left hand so she couldn't tap out.

Aoi wanted Lee Won to surrender. After the beating she had to take from her she wanted the satisfaction of hearing her opponent surrender to her. Call her a sadist, but after Lee Won's comment two days ago Aoi wanted to dig at Lee Won's pride a little in return. _You can't tap out Lee Won, so are you going to suffer through this or surrender?_ To Aoi's surprise, Lee Won was toughing it out. Aoi twisted harder, but she only got more cries of pain and no surrender. _You're pretty stubborn, but…_ Aoi relaxed her armbar for a moment, taking a deep breath to steel herself before forcing Lee Won's arm to bend to the point of hearing a joint dislocate, most likely her shoulder. And that did it, Lee Won gasped in shock and started tapping the mat.

"Stop, stop! I surrender!" With Lee Won's admission of defeat Aoi let out a relieved sigh and released Lee Won's arm and moved away from her.

 _Well, that's that._

* * *

After the match had finished Aoi and Lee Won were cleaning up in the shower. Much to Aoi's relief Smith had a doctor present during the match to make sure the two of them could walk out of the dojang without being in a stretcher. Lee Won was able to get her shoulder fixed immediately after the match, and save for some rehabilitation she was going to be alright. _I'm glad she gave up when she did though, the last thing I wanted to do was give her a severe injury._ And speaking of Lee Won…

"Geez, way to be brutal." Lee Won complained. "I could of sworn you were trying to rip my arm off." Aoi gave Lee Won a nervous smile. Shower in public wasn't anything new to her, showering with an opponent right after a match was another thing entirely. Aoi could _feel_ the heat Lee Won's anger, and not just because their showers were right next to each other.

"Well, we agreed to give it our all, so a few bruises were to be expected."

"'A few bruises' my foot. You're a damn sadist is what you are Aoi Umenokoji."

Aoi turned her head to Lee Won and narrowed her eyes at her. "I don't think the girl that did _this_ -" She pointed to her black eye. "And _this_ -" She then pointed to her swollen lip. "Among other injuries has a right to call _me_ a sadist." Not that Aoi didn't get _some_ enjoyment from tormenting Lee Won during the match, but it was solely because of karma. That was it. Nothing more… well, as far as Lee Won was concerned anyway. "Besides, that's what you get for going all out at the very beginning. You could had worn me out a lot more if you weren't so set on forcing me to fight defensively."

Lee Won let out a huff. "Yeah yeah…" She turned away from Aoi, going back to washing up. "Hey, do you think this'll really help boost my dojang's reputation?" Aoi paused and thought on that for a moment.

"I made sure to put in a good word about you and your fighting style while the doctor was tending to you, so yes, I think this event has done its job." She turned to Lee Won and smiled.

"I really hope so…" Lee Won turned off the water of her shower and stepped out, Aoi followed suit. "I really appreciate you doing that, thanks."

"Happy to do it. We should have a rematch once your arm heals."

"Pfft, yeah. So long as you don't try to break it again."

"No promises."

* * *

After thanking Lee Won for the match, saying a few more kind words about her and her dojang, and taking a few days for interviews and the like, Aoi and Smith were on their plane and heading back to Japan. This time though, Aoi and Smith were taking a moment to relax, having a drink at the minibar. Well, _Smith_ was having a drink at the minibar, Aoi had settled for green tea. "So Miss Umenokoji, you ready for the next event I've got plan?" Smith seemed giddier than usual, something that had Aoi wary. Was it because she was tipsy or did she really have some new scheme made up this quickly?

"Sure Miss Smith, what exactly am I doing next?" Smith giggled, flicking her wrist to have a roll of paper pop out of her sleeve.

"Here you are." Aoi took the roll and began reading it.

 _From the sponsors of the World Fighting Tournament, J6 is bringing you a new event to fulfill your battle urges, the Shang Xiang Battle Series, a worldwide televised event on the J6 Television Network where combatants of all disciplines and ages will come and be able to fight to their hearts' content for honor, glory, and prizes!_

 _Unlike the World Fighting Tournament, this fighting competition will take place in one location, the city of Xiomara, China where the entire city will be converted into a battleground for supremacy! Fighters from all over are welcomed to join and prove themselves in this large event._

Aoi's eyes widened as she reread the sheet.

"Tada! It's a Fight City, baby!"

"Fight… City?" Aoi took another glance at the pamphlet, before looking up at Smith. "Miss Smith, did you really-?"

"Yup! J6 has been wanting to do this for a while now, like, since the third World Fighting Tournament." She explained. "We wanted a chance to _really_ flex our muscles in making a really huge event, something _no one_ could ignore and no one else but us could do. We talked it over with our Chinese branch and we were able to get our hands on a city, buying it out for the event." Aoi stared blankly at Smith as she processed what her manager had just said. She nearly fell out of her chair.

"You **_bought_** a city?"

Smith let out an almost cartoonish evil laugh in response. "Mwahaha! How naïve Miss Umenokoji, don't underestimate the power of J6. We have the world under our thumb! We can buy a _country_ if we wanted to!" She cleared her throat and lightened her expression afterwards. "Kidding, kidding. It's not as big as you think it is. You've heard how China has been developing cities with no one to fill them, right? Something about a project of moving rural cities to the city in a few years." Aoi nodded.

"I've heard, yes."

"Yeah well, for those cities to thrive and become _actual_ cities they need not only a population, but a steady stream of revenue and business. So, J6 agreed to rent one of their empty cities for a time and turn it into a giant tourist attraction for televised fights and whatnot. It's a win-win. We get a giant place to host our event, and the Chinese government gets to some funding and free press for their soon-to-be bustling city. When I had you visit Lee Won's dojang I was busy with conference calls and such. After all the debates and finalizing all the documents we're finally going to start it!"

"And… you want me to participate?" Aoi asked.

Smith nodded, giving Aoi a thumbs up. "Naturally, this is a big J6 event after all. It'd be a _crime_ to not have our little warrior there to participate."

"I see…" This was a lot to take in.

"Well, that's 4 months away, so we'll have you do a few more exhibition matches before then, some interviews, let you get caught up with college, all that stuff, so don't worry." She placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder. "We still got some work to do until then, so just follow my lead and trust me a bit longer, okay?"

"Alright…"


	10. Chapter 10

Aoi read over the list of rules for the Shang Xiang Battle Series again. The rules and systems that would be in place during the tournament just seemed so… unnecessarily complex. The point system, the tracking wristbands, the audience playing a role in the fights, and then there was the _alliance system_. Her head was spinning. She let out a heavy sigh. If she had to read another word her head would explode, she knew it would.

"I understand the rules of combat, but all the extra rules and systems are just confusing." She tore herself away from the paper, looking up at Smith. "Is all this really needed for a martial arts tournament Miss Smi- ow!"

"Hold still please ma'am," The doctor treating Aoi's wounds continued to dab peroxide along her cut cheek. She frowned, biting her lip at the stinging pain. Smith didn't seem faltered by Aoi's question, taking the sheet of paper from Aoi's hands and crumpling it into a ball.

"Don't sweat the details Miss Umenokoji," She tossed the paper in a nearby trashcan. "Three points!" She turned to Aoi, who scowled at her in response. Smith raised her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, no need to get angry. It's simple really. You just need to go, fight, and win! That's all there is to it."

Silence…

"Ow!" Aoi's yelp broke the silence as the doctor began bandaging her cut cheek.

"Almost done ma'am." It took just a moment for the doctor to finish patching Aoi up. Both her and Smith thanked the woman and saw her off, leaving the two alone in the locker room.

"I'm hesitant to believe it's _that_ simple Miss Smith." Aoi frowned at Smith. It'd be nice to just wait until the tournament to worry about its complexities, but she knew Smith was just trying to make it easier for her go along with this event without complaint. "Between the rules within the city, the point system, the wristbands, and the alliance system, it all just seems like extra work." Despite Aoi's words, Smith's confidence didn't waver. In fact, she puffed out her chest with pride as she answered.

"Again, don't worry about it Miss Umenokoji. You're a clean fighter, so you won't foul unless you honestly tried to. You know that the point system just means you must win a lot of matches, and the rules for being in the city are just to behavior normal until a fight happens. The alliance system is just for friends and weaker fighters, so don't worry about that stuff for now. So, in other words…." Smith smiled her salesman smile and gave Aoi a thumbs-up. "Go, fight, win!"

Again, there was silence, at least until Aoi cleared her throat.

She shook her head. Sure, it was a much simpler approach, but it felt _too_ simple. "Miss Smith, I'm not an idiot. It's just a lot to take in for a fighting tournament. Compared to the World Fighting Tournament this just seems more complex."

"Au contraire, my little warrior. This is actually a lot simpler than the World Fighting Tournament." Smith grinned, wagging her finger at Aoi. Aoi scowled in response, making Smith recoil. "Hey, no need for scary looks now. The WFT was _much_ more complex on the business end. We had to fly fighters everywhere, work out traveling plans, hire several camera crews, pay for insurances and whatnot for staff, very pricey stuff. And that just the _traveling expenses_ , you don't even want to know about the legal battles!" Smith let out an almost theatric sighed. "This is a lot easier on our end. Yeah, the rules are a bit over the top, but all the fighters are in on place, which makes things easier for us. We just have to work out some contracts with the Chinese government among other things." Aoi could believe that much, but she still didn't like it.

"Very well…" It wasn't like she had much of a choice in this anyway considering her position.

"Anyway… Your match tonight went pretty well, don't you think."

Aoi nodded. "Yes, this was my first time having an official match with weapons." Tonight's match was between her and a kendo fighter. The weapons were wooden, but they left more of a mark than Aoi thought they would.

"I have to admit I was expecting the worse, but way to prove me wrong. You really are an ace with a naginata Miss Umenokoji." Smith mimicked the stance Aoi had taken in the match (albeit poorly). "The calm and elegant spear woman against the stoic and fierce female samurai, truly a fated battle!"

Aoi blushed, looking away. "You're starting to sound a lot like Yuka, Miss Smith…" _And I'm debating on if that's a good thing or not…_ "Ah, but Miss Busujima was quite the strong adversary. I'm glad I had a chance to cross blades with her." _Even though I get the feeling she was holding back for my sake…_

Smith grinned at Aoi, patting her on the shoulder. "Oooh, that's my little warrior! Polite and reserved even in victory!"

Aoi blushed at the compliment. "Miss Smith…" Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello, may I come in?" It was Yuka's voice.

"Yuka? Yes, come in."

"Pardon me," Yuka step inside, her eyes quickly looked onto Aoi, namely the bandage on her face. She stared at it for a moment, then pointed at it, then smiled. "Heh, you _so_ look like the wife of a samurai with that outfit."

Again, Aoi blushed at the comment.

"I know, right?" Smith began to chime in. "The slight mar on her face, the pure white headband complimenting the black uniform, a true warrior by any name."

Aoi looked away from the two now, her face turning more and more red. "You don't have to go that far…"

"No Aoi, she right." Yuka gave another quick examination of Aoi's attire.

True to Smith's words, Aoi got the outfit she had recommended a few months ago when she flew to Korea. The black kimono top was made to purposefully expose the left side of her torso, with her chest being covered by white wraps and the rest of her top half showing plenty of skin (something Saeko Busujima took full advantage of as that left side had plenty of bruises and red marks). J6's logo on the back of her kimono, its outline in bold white. And the black hakama for the pants actually came from her dojo. She had black tabi and geta sandals to go with it, but went without them for the match. She loved it when she first put it on. It had the perfect amount of the traditional aesthetic she like, and sexual appeal. But now… now she was starting to regret it. Having a crowd stare and comment on her looks was a lot easier to tune out in the heat of match. With her friend and manager? Not so much.

"That black uniform makes you looks like a total badass! Like a traditional Japanese female warrior from some ink scroll painting."

"Absolutely," Smith took a few steps back, taking her turn examining Aoi as she shrunk into her seat. "The ultimate feminine combatant with an elegant movements, a confident aura, and devastatingly deadly skills in combat." She smiled, quickly taking out a small camera from her within her suit and snapping a picture of Aoi. The sudden click of the camera made Aoi twitch.

"You guys…" Aoi's eyes focused on the ground as Yuka and Smith continued their theatrics.

"The Perfect Japanese Woman!" Yuka proclaimed.

"The Yamato Nadeshiko every woman aspires to be!" Smith added.

"The Coolest and Most Elegant Fighter of Japan!"

"The Mysterious and Stoic Beauty of Kyoko!"

"Could you two sto-"

"Aiki-Jujustu's Counter Queen!"

"The Ultimate Aikido Master!"

"The Reversal Prince-"

"Would you two _stop_ using me for your _aesthetic fetish_!"

Both Smith and Yuka recoiled from Aoi's outburst, flinching at the fury behind her words. They both stepped back in unison, staring at Aoi. They said nothing, silently thinking, choosing their next words carefully.

"S-Sorry Aoi, we got a little carried away." Yuka bowed in apology, Smith followed suit.

"R-Right, we got a little swept up in the moment." She slowly lifted her head. "But we _do_ mean it. You looked great out there, and the outfit you suggested had a great effect on the crowd."

"That's right." Yuka lifted her head as well. "I got so pumped seeing you fight Aoi. I didn't think you knew how to use a weapon too."

Aoi glared at the two for a moment before lightening up her expression. "I took up Kobujutsu after the Third World Fighting Tournament. I figured it would help me learn how to counter better." She sighed. "I lost so badly in that tournament I realized I needed to learn a lot more about fighting."

"I see…" Yuka stood up straight now. "You really are passionate about martial arts, aren't you Aoi?"

"Yes, I've always loved it. Despite Aiki-jujutsu being based around defense and counters I've always loved sparring and testing my mettle against strong foes. Especially after my time in the tournament." She paused. "Speaking of, I believe I still owe you a match Yuka."

Yuka smiled. "Really?"

Aoi nodded. "Yes, let's have our rematch tomorrow. I'll talk to my parents and see if you stay at our place tonight if you want. It'd be nice to do some actual socializing between college and my matches."

Yuka pumped her fist to the air. "Yeah, let's make it a sleepover! I wanna' see what your place looks like."

"Very well."

Smith stood up now. "Well, don't let me stop you ladies from having your fun then." She turned to Aoi. "You don't have any other matches until the tournament starts up, so try to stay healthy and safe until then."

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay then, with that, I'll get out of your hair."

* * *

"Y'know Aoi, I had the feeling you'd be one of those girls with a huge, traditional, Japanese-styled mansion." It wasn't the first time someone made that assumption about Aoi. The way the family dojo looked led to the common thought that her house would be just as large and traditional. It was, but since it was in the dojo took up the most space the living areas and bedrooms were much small than people thought.

"If it makes you feel any better the dojo and house were built by my family around the Warring States Era."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, my family have been fighters for several generations now."

"Woah… cool."

The two had just finished their bath and had a moment to chat, mostly Yuka gushing over Aoi's house and how traditional it was. Aoi had to admit, it was almost funny how long it took to finally have Yuka stay the night. They talked over the phone so much it felt a bit weird to speak face to face now.

"Sooo… what's this tournament about anyway?" Yuka picked up a sheet of paper from Aoi's bed, the flyer Smith had given her back in South Korea. Aoi frowned at it.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it in all honesty. Miss Smith described it as tournament that takes place inside an entire city, but… I'm hesitant to believe that."

"Don't be so quick to shoot it down Aoi. I did a tournament just like this awhile back."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, the Virgin Goddess Tournament. It was basically a battle between combat waitresses."

Aoi stared at Yuka in disbelief. _Combat… waitresses? What the-_ She knew maid cafes could be a bit crazy with their gimmicks, but… "You've… completely lost me Yuka." Yuka gave a nervous laugh.

"Hehehe, it was basically an MMA tournament with several restaurants sponsoring it. All the competitors worked as waitresses to a restaurant and fights took place at those restaurants."

"Really? That's actually pretty interesting." _And familiar as well._ The World Fighting Tournament was the only real tournament Aoi was interested in, but she remembered hearing about a handful other fighting tournaments in Japan. "That was ran by the Jahana Group, correct?"

"Yeah, I was sponsored by Hana Miller's."

"I know that restaurant, they make the best cheesecakes!"

"I know, right? I still get discount coupons from them." Yuka grinned. "So… yeah, I won that tournament, and combined with all my accomplishments in karate I've been doing pretty well as a fighter lately."

"I see…"

"What about you Aoi?"

"Me?" How _had_ she been doing? She had quite a few matches since South Korea, thankfully all in Japan. Her current record was 8 wins and 6 loses, and all her matches had been nothing short of intense. "In terms of my martial arts career I think I've been faring well. In terms of college… Biology is rather difficult."

"You're a biology major? Wow…"

Aoi shook her head. "I'm honestly thinking of changing. It's an Umenokoji tradition that all future heads of the dojo have a chiropractor's license, but medical school is… _unpleasant_. How my father did it I have no idea. And I'm just getting by on an athletic scholarship thanks to my Aiki-Jujutsu skills." She sighed, smothering her face into her futon.

"Wow, I wish _my_ biggest worry was passing medical school with a scholarship." Yuka's tone made it clear she was just taking a jab at Aoi, but it still stung.

Aoi turned her head to Yuka, her face deadpanned, holding back the urge to glare. "If we weren't friends I'd have you in an armbar right now."

Yuka smirked, playfully raising her fists. "You can do that tomorrow in our match."

Aoi sat up now, smirking back at Yuka. "Oh, I definitely will." The two stared each other down before breaking into laughter. "Anyway, for now focusing on college and this tournament are my top priorities."

"I see…"

From that point on, the two talked about several things. Their school life, their training, their hobbies outside martials arts. They practically talked the night away until bed.


	11. Chapter 11

"Aoi, let go already! I already tapped out!"

Specifically, Yuka had tapped out about five seconds ago, but Aoi still had her locked in the armbar for a bit longer before finally letting go.

Yuka slowly sat up, putting her arm over her shoulder as she carefully moved it around. She met Aoi's seemingly innocent look with a piercing glare. _I guess I went a little too far._

"Sadist." Yuka spat out.

"Odd, that's the second time I've been called that."

"Yeah, because it's probably true."

Aoi shrugged, helping Yuka onto her feet.

True to Aoi's words the two had their unofficial rematch, and Aoi had won via armbar submission. Granted, she held the position longer than she should had, but… well, revenge was a sweet thing to be savored. It was only a shame it wasn't official.

"So, other than brutalize me, what did you want to do today?" Yuka asked.

"Hmm…"

"Oh god, you actually planned on brutalizing me."

"Oh, hush you."

Outside of their rematch and training Aoi no idea what to do with Yuka. She had planned to clean up the dojo a little before afternoon classes, but that wasn't something she thought Yuka would be interested in. _Let's see… I finished morning training, so today's chores are getting supplies for the dojo, studying for college, helping father run classes…_ None of those things sound fun. Okay, they were fun for _Aoi_ , but she doubted that Yuka would care for them… actually, she probably would given her personality, but that just made it all the sadder.

"I'm not sure." Aoi let out a sigh. "I really am just a boring girl that only know martial arts…"

"Hey, hey!" Yuka immediately interjected, patting Aoi on the shoulder. "Don't make it sound like that's a bad thing. Being into martial arts isn't boring! We're youthful athletes! We train our bodies and souls to improve ourselves physically and mentally! We-"

"Yuka, we're _boring_." Aoi flat tone curbed Yuka's enthusiasm.

"I mean… we're not _boring_ , we just have a main interest."

"Yuka, no guy is going to be into a girl that can punch things really hard or throw people twice their size."

"Y-You don't know that!"

"Alright then Yuka, how many boys after wanted to spend time with you since you took up karate?"

"Hah, I'll have you know tha-"

"Unless they asked you out members of your karate club and tournaments don't count."

"Dammit!" Yuka crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine, whatever. So we're a bit boring, what's wrong if that?"

"Well ladies, your lives are going to get a lot more exciting!"

Aoi and Yuka jumped back upon hearing Smith's chipper voice. Aoi's manager had seemingly came out of nowhere, walking to the girls with a swagger in her step and her ever-present salesman smile on her face. "Glad to see you girls are getting your exercise this morning. It takes me so much effort to just do my morning walks, seeing you girls work is just inspiring, y'know?"

The two girls looked at each other, then at Smith. "Miss Smith, what exactly are you doing here?"

"I'm glad you asked my little warrior! I've got a few more papers and documents for you to sign before the tournament." Smith pulled out a handful of papers from her briefcase. Both Aoi and Yuka looked at each other, then at the papers.

"Sure…" Aoi grabbed a pen from Smith's hand and began to sign. It was all stuff she was used to seeing by now. Permission forms, brand deals for certain sponsors and products during the tournament, liability waivers, nothing new. "While you're here Miss Smith, I had some more questions about the tournament."

"Ah, me too." Yuka rose her hand.

Once Aoi had finished signing all the papers Smith placed them back in her briefcase. "Sure, sure. Ask away you two!"

Yuka went up first. "Um, how do you sign up for the tournament?"

"A few ways. Like Miss Umenokoji you could be invited by J6. Everyone from the previous World Fighting Tournament has been sent an invitation, so all they need to do is confirm their interest by calling or mailing us back." Smith took a seat on the floor, Aoi and Yuka followed suit.

"So Akira and all the other competitors will be there too…"

Smith nodded. "Yup, and really looking forward to seeing Mr. Yuki show up." Smith had said that with a noticeably longing tone. Aoi instantly narrowed her eyes at her.

"Wait, _Akira_ Yuki?" Yuka's eyes lit up. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! He's, like, one of the big stars of the martial arts world!" Yuka turned to Aoi. "Wait, Aoi do you _know_ him?"

"He's an old friend of mine, we sparred a lot when we were kids an-" Yuka latched onto Aoi's hands.

"Why didn't you _tell me_?!"

"Wha- I mean… it's not like I knew Akira was a big star or anything, he's just Akira to m-"

"Aoi, you have to let me meet him sometime. I have to ask him about his training, his diet, his dojo, hi-"

"So! How else can one get into the tournament Miss Smith." If she had to hear another word about Akira she was going to lose it.

"Ah, right." Smith cleared her throat continuing her explanation. "Other ways to join the tournament is to have the head of a gym or dojo sign someone up as a representative."

"So, if I wanted to join the tournament I'd have to get my Sensei to sign a form?"

"That's right Miss Takeuichi. I could give you that form if you want."

Yuka nodded. "Yes please."

"Alrighty, here you are." Smith pulled out a few sheets of paper and handed them to Aoi. "Have your Sensei sign the first form, and you just sign the rest where your signature is need. Liability waivers and all that fun stuff."

"Alright, thank you ma'am." Yuka nodded, smiling bright.

"Hey, can I get a form too?"

The three turned to the dojo entrance, seeing Kuro standing in uniform.

"Oh, hello Kuro."

"Hey sis," Kuro walked over to Smith. "If Aoi is already invited by you guys, does that mean I can't join as a representative of the family dojo?"

"Not at all Miss Kuro. If you wish to sign up that way then you are more than welcomed to. I know we have a few cases like this already, so it's not issue." Smith handed Kuro another copy of papers.

"Are you sure you want to participate Kuro? You could get hurt in the tournament."

Kuro shot an annoyed look at Aoi. " _Most_ martial arts tournaments have a good chance of injuries happening, _dear sister._ I'll be fine." Kuro spat, flipping through the pages. "I'm surprised the one that nearly broke my arm a few months ago actually cares about my wellbeing."

Aoi frowned. That actually stung a little. "I…" Aoi bit her bottom lip before finishing the sentence. There wasn't much she could say against that. Anything cheeky really _would_ have her come across as a sadist, and anything remorseful would make her a hypocrite. _Ugh, being the eldest sibling in a family of martial artists really doesn't make things like this easy._ She sighed, shaking her head. "Fine, I deserved that one. Feel free to challenge me again and return the favor. Just don't be surprised if I really _do_ break your arm." Aoi made sure that last sentence had an edge of venom behind it. The dark look on Kuro's face proved it had the desired effect, and Aoi gave her sister an innocent smile with no warmth behind it. _Fine, if I must play the villain for you defeat, then I'll play that role as best I can._ "Feel free to spar with me any time _little sister_ , I'll be glad to show you how far we can go in J6-sponsored events."

"Whoa…" Aoi didn't see her, but she could hear Yuka scooting back from Aoi. She glanced at Smith, seeing her smile suddenly become a lot more forced. And Kuro… well, she looked at Aoi like she was some monster that had to be slain. _Well… it looks like I brought the mood down quite a bit…_

"Demon…"

"Sadist…"

 _Oh, come on you guys!_

"W-Well… I'm glad to see the Umenokoji family is eager and willing for a chance at good natured competitive…" Smith also backed away from Aoi. Aoi's smile faltered. One glance and she knew she had turned the mood of the room to a dark tone.

 _I think I played my role a little_ too _well._ Too late to go back on it now.

"A-Anyway…" Smith took another scoot back before continuing. "The last way of going through the tournament is to pass a series of preliminary tournaments coming up soon, or be a sponsored fighter as well."

"A prelim tournament?" Yuka repeated.

"Well it's really a sort of exhibition. It's less of a tournament and more of a screening test. Xiomara is supposed to be able to hold up to 50,000 people, and of those 50,000 about 15,000 are going to be competitors."

All three girls stared at Smith in disbelief. "15,000 competitors?" Aoi said.

Smith gave a grin and nodded. "That's right, 15,000 warriors in one city!" She shot up to her feet, exploding with dramatic passion. "Every last one them competing to see who's the best, fighting until their last breath! Tensions will be high, competition will be fierce, rivalries will explode as fists fly!" Smith took a breath and returned to her usually calm aura. "Something like that anyway."

Aoi honestly didn't know if Smith was telling the truth or just being theatrical.

"So yeah, the screening is really just a way for J6 representatives to pick some interesting personalities and fighters that the other methods can't."

"Huh…" The way Smith was putting it the tournament sounded more like a reality TV event than an actual tournament. Is this… really going to be alright? It wasn't like she had much of a say in the matter, but still.

"Anything else you'd like to know?"

"Yeah, how exactly are you going to organize the battles with that many competitors?" Kuro chimed in now.

"The battles will take place throughout the day in special rings around the city, we'll have camera's everywhere to get every bit of the action that goes on. At the end of the day we'll just take the best ones we get and stick them on pay-per-view and the J6 website."

"I see…" It made sense at least. "Could you explain all the systems and whatnot. Reading them on my own had my head spinning a little."

"Certainly." Smith then went on to explain the rest of the rules to the tournament. The first thing she went over was the point system. In short, 1000 competitors would be knocked out of the tournament every week based on a point system. Winning fights would either a fighter points, how many depended on how they won. Knockouts won the most points, while submissions earned less, and outright surrenders earned the least. A fighter would also lose points based on how they loss, but points wouldn't go lower than zero. At the end of each week those in the bottom 1000 would be sent home. If there was a tie or groups of people with the same amount for being sent away, then a loser bracket tournament would be set up over the weekend for those with the lowest amount of points.

The Shang Xiang Battle Series would take place over 15 weeks until a the last 1000 remained. The last group would then be placed a large-scale tournament for the final week with ten brackets with 100 competitors in each until the final ten would fight in one final tournament-style battle.

To keep track of points and fighters, everyone participating would be wearing a special wristband that would track each person's location and points. The wristbands would also act as mini PDAs, letting fighters know of nearby battles, tracking their points, showing their ranks, and so on.

The city itself would have several rings and places to fight throughout the day. All a fighter would have to do is step inside one of the ring areas, confirm their acceptance to battle via their wristbands, and the fight would begin. Only fights done in this matter would count toward adding and losing points. Fights would be in a no-hold-barred style. The only ways to be disqualified would be to not participate in a fight at all for the entire week. Other than that, no real rules. Weapons would be allowed so long as they were wooden, dulled, or tested to be initially non-lethal. The only illegal moves would be eye gouging, placing fingers in an opponent's orifices, and biting. Anything else would be legal.

As for daily life in the city, it would be like the real world. All fighters would have a part-time job in the city as a way to break up the fighting, but participants could still challenge other fighters throughout the day and fight in the rings before going back to their task beforehand. Starting fights outside the rings wouldn't be illegal, but it wouldn't give anyone points, so it wasn't encouraged.

And then there was the audience, both those in the city and those watching via online. Once all the major fights were recorded and posted online people could go online and talk about their favorite fighter in the J6 forums. Audience members could give points to fighters based on appeal. These a form of bonus points for playing to the crowd, and a saving grace for those lagging.

Lastly, there was the alliance system. It wasn't so much an alliance of anything kind, but just the ability to trade points to friends and allies. All one would have to do is grant permission via the wristbands, confirm the amount, and the trade would be done instantly. This feature would be allowed until the fifth week of the tournament. After that, everyone was on their own.

"Aaaand, I believe that's all the important bits you three should know. Does that answer all your questions ladies?"

Aoi and Yuka looked at each other, then back at Smith. "Yes, I think we understand all we need to." Aoi said.

"Good, good. Now then, I'm off to see your dad."

"He should be in his office."

"Alright then, in that case I'll see you later my little warrior!" And with that, Smith was off.

Yuka turned to Aoi. "Little warrior?"

"Don't ask. I don't understand it either."

Yuka smirked, but said nothing. "Anyway, what do you think about those rules and stuff?"

"It'… difficult to wrap my head around, but I understand all of it at least." Aoi sighed. "You?"

Yuka shrugged. "It's not too different from the VG tournament, so I'm good."

"That makes one of us."

"Well, what do you want to do now?"

"I'm not sure… we could have another round if you wanted?"

"Yeah, I don't really want you trying to break my arm again, Miss Sadist."

"Hmph,"

"I'm good too, I still don't want to explain to the kids why my sister broke my leg in her bloodlust."

"I swear, one day..." Aoi pinch the bridge of her nose, standing up. "Fine, how about we all go shopping. I wanted to get a new kimono and uniform for the tournament anyway."

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Yuka sprang up.

"Mind if I come too? I wanted to get something too."

"Sure," Aoi began to make her way to the locker rooms, Kuro and Yuka behind her.

"You should get something with 'demon' written on it, sis." Kuro said, poking her in the side with her elbow.

"Or maybe get an Oni mask." Yuka added, poking at Aoi's other side.

"Okay... now I'm mad." Aoi grabbed Kuro by the arm, forcing her to her knees and slamming a knee into her spine. She went down instantly. Yuka stared in shock and horror, stunned for a moment. The moment her and Aoi's eyes met she was brought back to reality and tried rushing her. _Bad move._ Aoi sidestepped out of the way, grabbing Yuka by the legs from behind and pulling her down. She then slammed her heel at the back of Yuka's head. Both girls were on the ground, groaning in pain. Aoi simply let out an exhale and returned to a relaxed stance. "Phew..."

…

…

…

"Deeemoooon…"

"Saaaaadiiiist…"

Aoi's face went red. _Even when barely conscious…_ "Y-You two provoked me!"

"My, what's this?"

Aoi turned to the entrance of the dojo to see Smith with her father. The disappointed look on her father's face did more damage than a punch ever could.

"My eldest child…" No.

"So… The Reversal Princess, the Sadistic Demon of Kyoko. Has a nice ring to it, huh?" Oh no. "I didn't think it, but you've got the makings for quite the villainess Miss Umenokoji." Oh gods no. No. No. No.

"Why me…?"


	12. Chapter 12

_Aoi Umenokoji has been a rising star in the martial arts world for the past few months now. You may have heard her name during J6's yearly World Fighting Tournament, a martial arts tournament known for its intense, no-hold-barred battles and diverse selection of fighters and fighting styles. This young fighter has recently been making waves throughout East Asia, taking on several other female warriors in one-on-one combat in a similar manner as the aforementioned tournament under the sponsorship of J6 themselves. Still in college and just barely 20, Aoi is an accomplished martial artist skilled in her family's style of aiki-jujutsu, aikido, and kobujutsu. Whether in her family dojo, the ring, or the classroom, this young fighter keeps an air of dignity and prestige about her. Though one thing is for sure, she fights to win. Don't let the dainty title of Reversal Princess fool you into thinking she's a delicate flower, this girl has a record of ending her fights with devastating counters and brutal finishing blows that have left bones broken and her opponents screaming a submission all too late. Bushi Road Monthly's Otoha Suzuki was able to get a chance to speak with Aoi Umenokoji at her dojo recently about her upbringing, her life was a fighter, and her opinions on upcoming Shang Xiang Battle Series._

 ** _Bushi Road_** _: Thank you for taking time out of your day to speak with us Miss Umenokoji._

 ** _Aoi Umenokoji_** _: Thank you for the chance to be interviewed Miss Suzuki, I've been a fan of it for some time now._

 ** _BR_** _: Care to give us a bit about your background?_

 ** _AU_** _: I've been practicing aiki-jujutsu for as long as I can remember. My father had wanted a boy to head the family dojo, but as first-born I was determined to get his approval in letting me be the heir. He taught me the basics for solely self-defense at first, but I continued to study and practice the art, growing more confident in my skills. I started to compete in freestyle martial arts tournaments around the beginning of high school, and once I got my black belt my father granted me the right of heir when I was able to best him in a sparring match. I became the head assistant instructor after I graduated high school, started medical school to get my chiropractor's license, and here I am now._

 ** _BR_** _: A lot of people know about aikido, but aiki-jujutsu is apparently a different branch of the art. Care to explain the difference between the two?_

 ** _AU_** _: Just to clarify, aiki-jujutsu came before aikido. There are a few philosophical and technical differences, but the short version is that aikido's goal to neutralize your attacker while bringing as little harm to them as possible, and aiki-jujutsu's goal is to neutralize your attacker with no concern for the attacker's safety. Aiki-jujutsu also uses more strikes and offensive techniques, but now I'm getting technical._

 ** _BR_** _: So aiki-jujutsu is a sort of dark side to aikido?_

 ** _AU:_** _Hm, more like aikido is the light side to aiki-jujutsu since aiki-jujutsu came first._

 ** _BR_** _: I see. Do you have a preference since you've learned both styles?_

 ** _AU_** _: I'd say Aiki-jujutsu since I started out learning it. I personally find it more satisfying to give the killing blow. To be honest, it took a while for me to understand not harming my opponent when learning Aikido. I was so use to giving finishing blows after redirecting an attack._

 ** _BR_** _: Wow. Sounds like the Reversal Princess can be pretty brutal._

 ** _AU_** _: [laughs] Well, hesitation in a fight would only get you hurt, especially in combat sports. I'd rather avoid violence in any given situation if possible, but my personal belief is that it's better to be offensive than defensive when violence is the only option._

 ** _BR_** _: And in the ring._

 ** _AU_** _: Yes, especially in the ring. [laughs]_

 ** _BR_** _: So, how has your career as a J6 fighter been so far? Can you give us an idea of the day-to-day routine you go through?_

 ** _AU_** _: It's been well. My daily life is fairly normal despite my sports activities. Miss Smith, my manager, will let me know about a fight she wants to organize, then I do special training at the dojo and at J6's training facilities until it's time for that match. Sometimes it's out of Japan and we fly in a few days in advance, but most of my matches have stayed in Japan recently. It's a different experience to fight outside the World Fighting Tournament._

 ** _BR_** _: Any favorite fights so far?_

 ** _AU_** _: There's been quite a few, but the most interesting was my match against Lee Won Hee. Being able to go to South Korea and fight in a dojang was a new experience for me. Miss Hee was a great fighter as well. She had me on edge the entire match with her unique style of Tae Kwon Do. My rematch with Yuka Takeuichi was good too. We sparred a lot after our first match, but being able to best her in an official match makes me feel like I've settled a score in some way. She really is a good rival to have._

 ** _BR_** _: I've heard you and Miss Takeuchi have friends since your first match with her._

 ** _AU_** _: Yes, we've grown close since then. Even if I had to force her out the ring the last round. [laughs]_

 ** _BR_** _: Recently a lot of people have been saying you're a more brutal person than you let on given how your fights end. Broken bones, snapped limbs, things like that are common in your fights. Several commenters have called you a demon with a polite surface due to the state you've left your opponents in. "Kyoto's Demoness" has been almost as popular a moniker as "Reversal Princess." Any comment on that?_

 ** _AU_** _: Ah… yes, one of my siblings has been teasing me about that since we were little. [laughs] Like I said before, my fighting style focuses on neutralizing attacks without regard for my opponent's safety, and the fights I partake in don't have many restrictions in terms of disqualifications. I can understand how onlookers might feel, but as a fighter I'd say it's best be prepared for the worse in every fight you're in, whether in sports or in life._

 ** _BR_** _: That's quite the warrior-like response. I actually got chills hearing it._

 ** _AU_** _: That's just how I feel about it is all._

 ** _BR_** _: One last question Miss Umenokoji, is there anything you want to say about the upcoming Shang Xiang Battle Series?_

 ** _AU_** _: I look forward to the challenge and can't wait to test my skills in such a unique tournament. Our dojo has been getting a lot more challenges since I've began fighting under J6, so for those wanting to have a chance to face me I hope to see you all in Xiomara next month._

 ** _BR_** _: Oh, sounds like someone's declaring war._

 ** _AU_** _: Whether it's my dojo, in the ring, or a request, I'll take on anyone that wishes to face me. And honestly, the frequent challengers at our dojo have been cutting into our lessons lately. It'd be best to fight them somewhere classes aren't happening. [laughs]_

 ** _BR_** _: Hahaha, skilled in martial arts and quick witted I see. Thank you for your time Miss Umenokoji, we'll let you get back to training now. And best of luck in the tournament._

* * *

Since that interview, the number of challengers at the dojo only increased. Aoi had fought all brands of people. Official challengers from other dojos, dojo hunters that wanted to try and take the place over, street punks and delinquents trying to see how tough Aoi was, fellow students wanting to test their instructor's skill, even her siblings had been challenging her more often. The influx of challengers helped make money for the dojo, but it'd be nice if all this attention could get them more potential students too.

"Hah!" Aoi forced her opponent to the ground, keeping a grip on their arm and twisting it before kicking them in the stomach. For a moment, she thought she heard bones snap from that move, but her mother was quick to examine her opponent and confirmed it was a dislocation, not a break. Aoi let out a sigh of relief. Another match finished, another challenge won. "Well, thank you for the match, ma'am. I look forward to another bout." Aoi gave a bow to her opponent before heading to change.

It wasn't just that interview bringing Aoi more attention. J6 had been posting Aoi's matches online along with commentary from other fighters, J6 officials, and other big names in the martial arts and combat sports world. Currently, Aoi's record was six wins and four losses, and most of her recent wins were by knockout. The decisive and quick way she ended matches with a counter really started to bring meaning to the moniker Reversal Princess, and along with that fame came infamy as well.

"Maybe I'll get some peace from these rumors once the tournament starts." Once Aoi finished changing into her kimono she headed to the bathroom. She was heading there, but…

"There's my little warrior!" Smith's voice snapped Aoi out of her thoughts. "I see things here are as busy as ever. Saw you take out another challenger."

"Please don't word it that way Miss Smith, I have enough bad rumors spreading about me…" Aoi sighed, shaking her head. "But yes, the challengers keep coming. I'm worried I'll run out of energy soon." Smith had been coming a lot more lately with the tournament approaching. Every day had been more papers to read and sign and more things to record for the press. Honestly, Smith's appearance had recently only brought Aoi dread.

"Oh, you're _way_ too young to be saying that sort of thing Aoi!"

"I'd like to see you take out three highly skilled fighters in one day and not say the same…"

"In any case, I just wanted to remind you the plane for Xiomara will be here in a few days." Smith pulled out an envelope from within her suit and handed them to Aoi. "There's a ticket for you and Kuro in here."

"Thank you." Aoi took the envelope and placed it within her kimono.

"Also, you'll be participating in an exhibition match when we get there, so just be ready for that."

"Exhibition match?"

"Just a mock fight too show the other participants and audience how things are going to go. Nothing to worry about. I'll explain every else along the way."

"I see…" Aoi frowned.

"It's nothing shady, I promise. It'll be a great way to get some attention."

I think I have enough attention on me already…"

Oh, you~"

Aoi shook her head. "Anything else?"

"Hm… nothing else, just be well rested and ready."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know." Aoi paused for a moment. "Actually, I have one thing I wanted to ask you."

"Yes?"

"A lot of people and articles have recently been painting me in a… less than favorable light. Is there any reason for that?"

"Ah, well…" Smith's salesman smile faltered for a moment. "I guess PR figured you'd make a good Heel, if you know what I mean."

Aoi canted head to the side. "A… Heel?"

"You know, a bad guy, playing the villain to the crowd, that sort of thing." Smith explained. "You're fighting style is like the dark side of aikido, right? So we just decided to play up that angle a little. Plus you've got that sexy black outfit, and that last match kinda' ended with you breaking Miss Ooyama's leg, so…"

Aoi's frown deepened. "Please don't call my combat attire sexy, and the rules of that match made it clear broken bones were a possibility. My body was at risk as much as hers."

Smith pulled at her suit's collar. " _Yeeeeah_ , but you went right for the kill in the second round after she gave you a black eye. The words you said after the match were pretty cutting too."

Aoi couldn't argue against that one. She was definitely out for blood after losing the offensive in the first round, and though her words were about her own frustrations in losing that edge it probably came across more as ruthless that reflective. She sighed. _I never thought I'd care about public opinion until now…_

"Don't worry about it too much Aoi. Everyone _loves_ a villain, so just… be you."

"If you say so…"

"I _do_ say so. It'll be fine Aoi. Just be yourself and don't let people get to you. Miss Takeuchi and Mister Yuki see you for how you really are, right? _Those_ are the people you should care about."

"Right…" Aoi couldn't argue against that either.

"Anyway, that's all from me. It looks like _you've_ got another challenger waiting for you."

Aoi turned to see Kuro standing behind her with an annoyed look on her face.

"I'm just here for my ticket. Besides, no challengers past 8PM, even family has to follow those rules. It'd just be a sparring match otherwise."

"Aw, and I wanted to watch too…"

"Tough," Kuro pulled on Aoi's kimono. "Ticket."

"You could ask, Kuro."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, _princess_?"

The temptation to slap Kuro right there was strong, but she knew better. And Kuro would likely send her straight to the ground if she telegraphed an impulsive strike anyway.

"This _princess_ will just remind you why you're still a _peasant_ when the tournament." Aoi pulled out the envelope, handing Kuro her ticket.

Kuro scoffed, snatching the ticket out of Aoi's hand. "Feel free to try."

"Heh, looks like the sibling rivalry is still strong in Umenokoji household." Smith smiled and gave Aoi a pat on the back. "Anyway, that's it for me Aoi, I'll see you in a few days."

"Yes, goodbye and good night, Miss Smith."

"Night!" With that, Smith made her way out the dojo.

 _Wait a moment…_ Aoi watched Smith leave, staring at the doorway. _When… did she start calling me by my first name?_


	13. Chapter 13

_Thank the gods for solid ground._ Finally off the plane, Aoi stretched her arms out. Being in a plane with so many martial artists sizing each other up and trying to feel out the competition was just suffocating. It was a surprise a fight to didn't break out from all the side eyes being thrown around. "Mm, finally free!" Aoi at last could take a moment to stretch, get her bearings together, maybe walk around the city for bit and-

"Alright Aoi, the exhibition match will be tonight at 10 in the Jian Du Gym. Make sure you're there an hour before the match to change and look presentable." Apparently work.

Aoi's cheerfulness vanished with just one statement. One day. She just wanted one day to spend in a new city, and despite trying she couldn't hiding her disappointment for Smith's news, giving a glaring look at her manager. "Oh, don't look at me like that Aoi, I told you you'd have an exhibition match when we arrived."

Aoi let out a huff, but said nothing more. She wasn't about to start whining about something she knew was coming. Still, a day to get use to her new surroundings would had been nice. She shook her head, taking a calming breath. "Very well then,"

That's my little warrior!" Smith patted Aoi on the back, giving a rather cheeky grin.

"Just don't humiliate our dojo, sis." Kuro appeared behind the two, just getting off the plane herself.

"I won't," Aoi said. "Just make sure you follow your own advice." The two glared at each other for a moment before making a brisk walk toward the city with Smith catching up to them. Evening bout or not, Aoi was at least going to take some time to look around. She had a good few hours until 10.

As Smith said a few months back, the place really did have rings and cameras scattered everywhere. The city park had a few rings defined by white lines in the grass, the downtown square had outdoor boxing rings in a few corners, several bars and restaurants had cages and pit arenas, of course the gyms and dojos had camera's just about everywhere inside as Aoi checked out a few places. The whole city looked like it was built to host battles, and as she, Smith, and Kuro walked about there were whispers and gossip about her all around.

"So that's the Reversal Princess, huh?"

"I hurt she broke a fighter's leg in South Korea."

"Really? I hear she destroyed a fighter in a match after she drew blood."

"Isn't she called the Demoness of Kyoto in Japan? She doesn't look so tough given the title."

"I saw some of her matches, she's pretty brutal in the ring."

"She nearly sent a challenger to the hospital once. Did you see that interview? She's ruthless."

"Heh, can't wait to get a piece of her when the tournament starts."

Aoi let out a breath. _Why me?_ She kept a straight face despite the gossip being thrown around, but it was hard to just stand there and take it. Smack talk every now and then before and after a fight was normal to deal with, but to hear all this gossip right in front of her as if she couldn't hear it…

"Hey, don't let it get to you, Aoi." Aoi turned around, seeing Akira… in a red t-shirt and jeans. Again, it was always a shock to see him in casual attire, but seeing him was a relief.

"Mr. Yuki, what a surprise." Smith walked right over to Akira, giving a grin. "Don't tell me you're stalking us now."

"Oh, not at all ma'am." Akira walk around to Aoi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just looking out for a friend is all."

"Well that's rather kind of you. I wish all men could care for a friend as well as y-"

Aoi soon her throat, loud enough to make Smith take a step back.

"Yes, well thank you for looking out for me Akira." Aoi gave Smith a glare before turning to him. "It's still hard to hear, though." Akira patted Aoi on the back.

"A mind clouded by those kinds of thoughts will just make you hesitate in a fight." He said.

"I know, I know…" Between all the fights she had up till now and all the harsh words she's had to deal with, this was nothing. "Still, I'd rather not be seen as a demon."

"Too late for that," Kuro said, chiming in.

"Quiet you,"

Akira laughed, placing a hand on both Aoi and Kuro. "Haha, you to really are like water and oil some days." Aoi couldn't help but feel Akira push the two apart while latching onto them, probably feeling their killing intent toward each other. "Anyway, just do as you've always done Aoi. That's all you can really do as fighter. If rumors happen, they happen. They only come from people that don't know your path."

Aoi brushed off Akira's shoulder and gave him a grin. "Wow, look who's quoting Grandpa Yuki, guess he really _did_ turn you into an old-fashioned warrior."

"Hey now," Akira's face went red, and Aoi giggled.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Aoi paused. "Actually, I think you and Yuka would be good friends."

"That karate practitioner you fought?"

"That's right. You two are both complete fight-addicts that quote from _far_ too many movies and manga."

Akira's face went deadpan, and he flicked Aoi's forehead. "Okay, it's a lie and you know it Aoi Umenokoji. I do _not_ sound like an anime character."

"Oh?" Aoi took a few steps back before stomp the ground, mimicking Akira's Bājíquán stance and shouting as passionately as she could, "The time has come. Let's go!" Aoi then performed an elbow strike at the air. "You're ten years too early!" She performed another stomp, then a double palm strike. "You gotta fire me up more than that!" Aoi held her stance for a moment longer before standing up, looking back at Akira. He was staring completely wide-eyed. "Heh, I think I've prove my point that-" Aoi was about continue, but things… got quiet. The entire street was silent in fact, and it was fairly bustling awhile ago. She looked around. _Everyone_ was staring at her. The other fighters, the residents of the town, some even back away. And Aoi's face went completely red. She looked to Smith, who had got some considerable distance away from them, innocently looking around like she wasn't involved. And Kuro… Kuro was as red as Aoi from what she could make out, crouched on the sidewalk and facing away from Aoi with her ears covered.

"Well…" Smith soon came forward with her best professional smile. "Our little warrior's acting ability aside, let's head to everyone's quarters." Smith walked around of the group and they followed with little said between them.

The apartment complex they would all be staying at had rather… small rooms. No, to call them small was an understatement. Aoi and Kuro's room was literally a bunk bed with just enough space to get in bed with a door to the left revealing the shower and bathroom. The realization shocked her. It shocked Akira. It shocked Kuro, and all three looked at Smith with some hope of an explanation.

"It's… small." Aoi said.

"You should see some of apartments I had on business trips…" Smith muttered, giving a rare pout before clapping her hands together. " _Anyway_! Most of your time will be outside here, so just think of it as a sleeping base. Both you and Kuro will be sleeping here specifically."

"Okay…" Neither Aoi nor Kuro made objections, and Akira just nodded along with them.

"Great," Smith pulled two folded slips of paper and two bracelets out from her suit. "Here's two maps of the city and score bracelets. The tournament can only provide the barest of basics on a spending level, so try looking around and getting a job of some kind if you can. I'm sure you'll find something." Both girls took the items and nodded. "Excellent, just remember Aoi, exhibition match is tonight."

"Right," Aoi nodded.

"Oh… and… one last thing girls. _T_ he big wigs at HQ were having trouble implementing the whole point system, so there's going to be some rule changes to the tournament."

"Really?" Part of Aoi was glad she didn't have to worry about that, but… _Please tell me it's nothing as complicated than what was originally in place_. "What are the new rules."

"Nothing too taxing," Smith explained. "They'll be an announce tomorrow after your exhibition match, but the short version is consecutive loses will get you kicked out after a certain point."

 _Sounds easy enough, but…_

"Anyway, I'll be taking my leave. See you nine Aoi." With that, Smith left, and the two sister and Akira were left.

"Well, I have about an hour before nine, so I think I'll just shower and get changed."

"I'll be sure to see you're match Aoi." Akira said.

"You better,"

* * *

Aoi's uniform got a bit of an update since her last match. As much as she liked the old look, she didn't want to leave half her body exposed, so she traded in her kimono top for a navy blue, sleeveless gi with black hand wraps, and shin guards under blue hakama. It wasn't as showy as she liked, but it'd be more protective for sure. She looked at herself in the mirror, putting her hair into a ponytail. _Okay, I think I can work with this._ She doubled checked her outfit, making sure everything fit properly. "Oh, right." She grabbed her wristband and placed it on her right wrist. _It… clashes, but I'll work with it._

"You ready Aoi?" It was Smith.

"Yes, one moment." Aoi opened the door, seeing Smith with a slight frown.

"Aw, I liked the old version better." She said.

"And I like not worrying about seeing heavy bruises on my body." Aoi countered.

"True enough." Smith began to walk toward the ring, Aoi followed. "General rules apply here, so just try your best and show no mercy!"

"Right…" Aoi frowned, almost pouting.

"Hey, none of that now Miss Villainess. Like I said, people really _do_ like you. Just, you know, not your opponents and rivals." That probably would have cheered Aoi up a little if it wasn't for the fact that all her rivals and opponents would be everywhere in the city.

"I can clearly see that." If Smith noticed Aoi's deadpan tone she didn't bother to show it.

"Anyway, onto the match!" The Jian Du Gym was actually nearby the apartment complex Aoi and Kuro were staying at. The gym wasn't too large, but it was a filled the brim with fighters and spectators alike. Aoi looked around the building as she made her way to the ring. Akira and Kuro were in the first row and Smith soon took her place next to them as Aoi approached the ring. The ring was a basic boxing ring, nothing she hadn't seen before. As she walked in the announcer gave her name, country, height and weight, the standard thing she was used to, and then announced her opponent.

Hokuto Mizukami, another Japanese fighter with a background in Kobujutsu. And around Aoi's height and weight too. _Hokuto… that name sounds familiar._ The woman walked into the ring, wearing a white standard gi and blue hakama, her hair was tied up in a bun as well. What stood out to Aoi was the naginata on her back and the fans at her side. She had weapons on her, and Aoi was unarmed. _I didn't know she was skilled in weapons…_ Already Aoi was forming a plan. Thankfully aiki-jujutsu and aikido had disarming techniques, so she just ha dot get those weapons out of Hokuto's reach. The only issue would be actually getting close. Aoi had a feeling Hokuto wouldn't be foolish enough to let her do that. This was going to be a tough match.

The two walked to the center of the ring and the announcer explained the rules. It was the standard rules she had already known. Note biting, eye-gouging, groin attacking, things like that. Just about everything else was legal and the battle would go until knockout or submission.

Neither woman said a word as the explanation concluded, only taking their stances and waiting for the bell. Once it rang, the fight was on.

To Aoi's surprise, Hokuto didn't immediately pulled her weapons. She got in close, slamming her elbow into Aoi's stomach and push her back with a kick before taking the naginata out. Hokuto slammed the blade of her naginata down, and Aoi rolled out of the way, just barely missing it. From the ground, Aoi rolled forward and swept at Hokuto's legs, tripping her. From there she hopped back up and kicking her weapon out of the ring. One less thing to worry about. She grabbed onto Hokuto's foot, preparing to twist it, but Hokuto kicked Aoi off and hopped right back up.

Aoi took a moment to collect herself before ducking down and kicking at Hokuto's shin. Hokuto staggered forward, clutching her leg and Aoi came back up and kneed her in the stomach, followed by slamming her elbow down on Hokuto's head while she was doubled over. Hokuto hit the mat hard, giving small huffs on pain. She got on her hands, but Aoi grabbed one, held it up, twisted hard, and stomped on Hokuto's head, knocking her down again. Again, Hokuto got on her hands and knees to stand, and again Aoi stomped down on her.

Hokuto didn't get up again, instead grabbed Aoi's ankle and pulling her down. She then got up, still holding onto Aoi's ankle and twisted it hard. Aoi let out a cry of pain despite herself, and Hokuto flipped her to her stomach with her leg still in Hokuto's grasp. Next, Aoi felt the sting of a brutal single leg boston crab. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let out a cry of pain. She made a desperate crawl to the ropes in hopes of a rope break, but Hokuto refused her, pulling her back to the center while maintaining the hold. Desperate, Aoi kicked out her free leg, trying to buck free. The first buck loosened the hold, and the second buck freed her. She was up quickly, but Hokuto grabbed Aoi by the shoulder and dug her hand right into Aoi's stomach. It felt like a spear was stabbed into her, Aoi coughed out saliva, staggering back and falling, breathing heavily. The match was called after that.


	14. Chapter 14

Aoi slammed her opponent to the ground hard, getting one last groan out of them before her bracelet beeped and flashed to signal the match's end. She exhaled, returning to a more relaxed stance before making her way to the locker rooms of the dojo.

"Looks like the Princess is tough after all."

"She really _does_ counter everything That was one brutal throw."

She paid the onlookers no mind as she walked into the locker room to change. That was the fifth opponent today. Ever since her lost at the exhibition several people had challenged Aoi, likely thinking she was easy prey. It was somewhat annoying after the first day, but as the jeers and insults went on she went about proving the rumors about her weakness false with swift ferocity. All her matches were won by either knockout or submission, namely the latter given her repertoire and almost always with a snapping limb. Four days had pasted since then, and she only had five loses on her after her first official match since the tournament out of the twenty matches she had.

 _Twenty matches…_ _Fight City indeed._ Her body was starting to feel it now. The small aches and bruises that were gained in previous fights were starting to catch up to her. This was a ruthless tournament for sure. Five fights a day had been the norm for a while now. Not even at her own dojo was she pushed this hard. Most fights ended quick with a hard throw and bone-breaking counter, but the longer ones were agonizing on her body. _I never thought I'd look forward to sleeping in that small apartment…_

After a quick shower she changed into civilian clothes, and headed to her apartment. The dojo most of her challenges and battles were done had recently became known as the Princess's Castle. As annoying as the name was, she did like the idea of having a specifically location to herself where she always had a stream of fighters to face. Yuka and Kuro even frequented the place from time to time due to the large influx of fighters, being seen as her knights to the other fighters, much to Kuro's annoyance.

Speaking of…

"I'm back," Aoi walked into her apartment, seeing Kuro in her gi. _I guess she's heading out soon._

"Hey sis, surprise to see you're alive," She said.

"Just barely," Aoi said, forcing a wry smile. "After all the challenges I took at our dojo I thought I'd be used to this exhaustion."

"Looks like that reputation of yours is a double-edged sword,"

"Indeed…" Aoi sat in her bed, letting out a sigh. "It's been awhile since I've been pushed this far." She turned to Kuro, examining her gi. It was the standard one from their dojo, nothing specialized like her own. "You have a challenge?"

"Yup," Kuro pulled out her phone, shaking it in front of Aoi. "Got a match request from the forum, so I'll be at the Castle for a bit."

"Please don't call it that, it's just a dojo you, Yuka, and I frequent."

"Nope, it's the Castle, Princess. Take it or leave it."

"I'd rather leave it,"

"Well sadly neither of us are going to get our way."

Aoi let out a heavy sigh. "Please, not today Kuro, we can argue tonight when I have the energy." Aoi leaned back, lying on her bed. "In any case, that match request forum really works it seems."

"Yeah, it's pretty handy when you aren't some famous or sponsored fighter."

"Kuro…" Aoi forced herself up. "I doubt you want all the attention I'm getting right now, considering what it means for my body."

"True…" She tightened her belt. "Still, it'd be nice to not be in your shadow."

Aoi paused at that. All things considered, Kuro wasn't being as annoying as usual outside her usual quips. Maybe she was showing Aoi some mercy for once. _We haven't seen much of each other these last few days._ This might be a good chance to connect with her sister before she ran off, make up for threating to snap her limbs apart last week "Hey Kuro,"

"Yeah sis?"

"You haven't fought me yet."

"What, you think you're special?"

Aoi held back a huff, narrowing her eyes. "No, I was just curious why you haven't yet."

"There are a lot of other fighters here from other places around the world." Kuro explained. "It'd be a waste to come here just to fight my sister over and over. I can do that anytime."

 _Glad to see you respect me._ Still, she understood Kuro's logic. It was the same reason she wanted to participate in the World Fighting Tournament. She still remembered her siblings being jealous of that fact, even if she lost badly her first two attempts. "I see… In that case, at least try to have fun with this. You might not get another chance."

"Yeah," Kuro canted her head, giving a confused look before shaking her head. "Well, I'm heading out."

"Alright, do your best."

"Yeah… thanks sis," With that, Kuro left, and Aoi was alone. _Guess I'll check the forums myself._ Aoi pulled out her phone, checking the J6 forums. Things had indeed changed as Smith said. The tournament rules no longer were based on points, but by consecutive losses and popularity rankings.

 _"In a nutshell, losing so many times in a row will have your rank drop, and at the end of each week the lowest 5000 in the rankings will be forced out of the tournament, at least the total will be 5000 at the end. Gotta' include those that can't continue due to injury and all that."_

Those were Smith's words, and double checking the rules of the tournament on the J6 forum, that seemed to be the case. Aoi herself was within the top 1000 in the ranks, likely thanks to her several wins and reputation from the World Fighting Tournament. In fact, the top 1000 included all the World Fighting Tournament alumni. Akira, Kagemaru, the Bryants, the Chans, Shun Di, the list went on, but she didn't both with reading through them. She had so many fights she lately that the rankings didn't bother her for the moment. She knew she was in a decent place, and that was the most important thing.

"Hm?" Aoi got a notification on her phone, someone sent her a fight request. She frowned, pulling it up. It was from Sarah Bryant of all people. "The Jeet Kune Do fighter?" She knew of the woman, a bit about her reputation and fighting style, but nothing outside of that.

 _Fight Request_

 _Challenger: Sarah Bryant_

 _Location: Genbu Dojo_

 _Time: 11PM_

 _Genbu Dojo… ah, right._ Aoi nearly forgot the name of the dojo she frequented. It felt odd hearing the true name of it now. _I don't mind, but…_ _Eleven?_ She had 8 hours until then, it was enough time to rest and eat before that fight. "Alright then," Aoi got out of bed and did a bit of stretching. Her body was still a little sore, but a little rest would put her back into fighting shape.


	15. Chapter 15

The dojo was practically empty when Aoi entered, only a handful of people exercising, sparring, and having their own matches. An unusual turnout than what Aoi was used to, though it meant less worry about people interfering or challenging her immediately afterwards. _I guess that is why Sarah wanted to do this so late at night._ If so, it was a smart move on her part.

Aoi made a quick trip to the locker room to change into her gi, then started stretching and warming up as she waited for Sarah. _I wonder why Sarah wanted to fight me specifically?_ It was something she had been wondering for a while now ever since she got the message. It wasn't like the two knew each other outside of their names, and while Aoi herself was curious about seeing the woman's skills firsthand she didn't think there was much special about herself that'd get Sarah's attention. Maybe Aoi's recent popularity played a role. Maybe her former involvement the World Tournament competitor got her name out there. Maybe it was just something simple like testing out the forum and app system with a familiar name. Who knew?

"Well _someone_ 's here early."

 _Speaking of…_ Aoi glanced at the entrance, seeing Sarah walk in. "It's only right for the challenged to be present before challenger," She answered.

"Right, right…" Sarah rolled her shoulders, loosening up before the fight. "You ready?" She took her stance, bouncing around on the balls of her feet.

Aoi looked the woman over, examining her stance. She was as confident and bold in person as Aoi had seen in photos and videos. From the way she looked to the how she moved Sarah had a radiance about her. Still, there was something… _off_ about her. Aoi couldn't put her finger on it, but something didn't feel right…

"Very well," Aoi shook off the thought for now, settling into her own stance. "Let's begin," 

* * *

The moment the two started trading blows. The moment Sarah landed a clean hit with a roundhouse, it was clear what felt off about her.

Sarah was out for blood.

Not just to defeat Aoi, but honestly trying to break her into pieces. That kick would had shattered Aoi's arm if she wasn't trained, and it only got worse from there. This wasn't just a challenge, it was grudge match, one that Aoi had no idea what she did to earn.

And Sarah was no easy opponent either. Fancy footwork, fake outs, feints, switches in stance and movements. It completely through Aoi off. Every time Aoi tried catching a high kick she took a low kick that would had crippled a weaker fighter. Every jab she tried to block was met with a blow to her stomach, following up with a combination of blows to her torso as punishment that battered her body. Sarah knew Aoi's defensive, grapple-based fighting style well, and attacked every weak point in it. The first two minutes had Aoi in a bruised and cut mess.

"Hah!"

Aoi barely dodged a vicious kick, grabbing Sarah's leg and twisting it as she forced Sarah on her stomach, the first decent grapple she had gotten all throughout the fight. Sarah cried out, struggling, flailing, and kicking at Aoi with her free leg to get out of the hold, but only Aoi twisted her leg harder in response. She had finally gotten ahold of the woman, she wasn't letting go without giving Sarah some punishment in return. Aoi sat up on Sarah back, pulling on her leg as hard as she could for a single leg boston crab.

"Gaaah!"

Aoi pulled hard, waiting for a tap out from Sarah, but she didn't. I'm pulling hard enough to break her leg. _Why isn't she tapping?_ _Her leg and hip should be broken from this?_ Aoi locked her hold in until Sarah's cries started to die out, giving one quick stomp at her back as she stood to her feet before letting go.

She expected Sarah to stay down, but to her surprise she got back to her feet in a hurry. She wasn't as springy as she was in the first portion of the fight though, and Aoi was going to take full advantage. _You're not getting up a second time._

Aoi went in again, ready to force Sarah down again for another submission, but…

"Guh!" A somersault kick, right at Aoi's jaw. The world went white as she hit the ground, blood and spit flying from her mouth as she did. By some miracle she still had enough consciousness to roll back as she landed, saving her a bit of pain as she forced herself back up. That took a lot out of Aoi, but it took a lot out of Sarah too from the look of it. She was breathing heavy, and on one knee. That was probably her last shot.

Aoi was a dizzy mess from the kick but rushed forward, grabbing Sarah's arm and flipping her hard onto her stomach. Sarah gasped, but Aoi continued her attack, still latching onto her arm and twisting it hard before stomping hard on Sarah's shoulder.

 _Snap._

She got a sharp, pained yelp from Sarah, and her bracelet beeped. The match was over, and Aoi sat on the floor, catching her breath.

"Phew…" _That… was some fight… if I can even call it one._ That wasn't just a fight, it was like Sarah was honestly trying to kill her. That kick had murderous intent behind it. If Aoi wasn't ready for that kind of pain… things would had gotten bad. And Aoi herself had to go straight for crippling her. That… had chills run down her spine. Such moves were a part of her repertoire, and every fighter had come here understand they were risking limbs and more in such a tournament, but…

She looked to Sarah, her eyes widening. Sarah was sitting up with only a few bruises to show for it, even her arm looked okay.

 _But I… I_ know _I broke her arm._

"Are you… okay, Miss Bryant?"

"Sarah," She correct, rolling her shoulder. Aoi could hear the bones setting back in place from the act. It was a disturbing sight for sure. "Yeah, I'm fine." She stood to her feet, letting out heavy pants. "Pretty tough, guess J6 knows how to pick 'em…"

Aoi stood up as well, raising an eye. Sarah said that with an odd amount of spite. "I suppose… thank you for facing me," She gave a bow, more out of formality if anything. She'd definitely have to ask her about this battle later. "That was… quite the battle,"

"Yeah…" Sarah, looked Aoi in the eye, looking her over before turning away. "Well, I'm out of here. Hope to fight you again, Aoi."

"Yes, you too,"

Sarah was nearly out the door before saying one last thing. "You seem like a good girl, so I'll just tell you to watch J6 carefully. They aren't as nice as you think they are."

Aoi raised an eye. "I… see… I'll keep that in mind."


End file.
